I had never heard of GIS before last weeks class but I found the presentation extremely interesting and can see why GIS are becoming increasingly used in the history field. GIS allows us to map and see the data we are studying and is a great way to visualize different historical topics. I think that GIS would be a great educational tool for history students as well who learn better visually. As history majors know, our program is quite reading intensive and I think it would be great to study different historical topics through GIS maps instead of just reading about them. I believe it would be a great way to study changing patterns over time, for example the geography or landscape of a region, like MacFadyen discussed in his article.
Knowles states that the "capabilities [of GIS] could well make map lovers of a new generation of
computer-literate historians, and bring computing expertise to future
generations of map lovers." I agree with this statement and can definitely see how GIS has impacted digital humanities. GIS has really created a new way to study history, incorporating new technology and a more "digital" approach to learning.
I was surprised to see the amount of information on GIS and the popularity of it. As a history major, I'm amazed I haven't heard of GIS before because it seems to be a common form of expressing historical research! When I was researching GIS on the web I came across a site titled Urban Transition Historical GIS Project (http://www.s4.brown.edu/utp/) which caught my eye due to my interest in American history. This project was headed by Professor Logan at Brown University and it used census reports from various cities in the United States near the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century when industrial growth and immigration led to a huge urban boom. This project illustrates the high percentage of people moving from rural to urban areas and growth of cities. GIS is a great avenue for projects like this one because it allows you to actually see the area growth with a quick glance!
