Historic records and documents can be incorporated into GIS maps, which is incredibly useful for examining and interpreting the past. The example above combines information from a variety of sources - a historic map from the 1890's-1920's, a user-created map of the Freedom Trail from ArcGIS Online, census data, an image, and informational text. In addition, hyperlinks were created so that when the user clicks on Paul Revere's House using the Hyperlink tool, they can access the census and see the image. An HTML pop-up was added to the map, so when you open the link it takes the user to the Google Maps Street View scene in front of the house. It's easy to see how much information can be pulled together this way.
This is a phenomenal tool for organizing, visualizing, and interpreting a huge variety of historical data. Even more can be learned from using it in tandem with data in other fields. Readings this week focused on two methods for using these methods to identify and document sites that were threatened, and to prioritize urgency and inform policy decisions. In Peru, aerial photographs from the 1940's and Google Earth images spanning more recent years were used to document looting, and to identify additional cemeteries. It will continue to be used to monitor sites and to help policy makers decide how to manage the resources to prevent more looting. In Georgia, GIS methods were used to determine what areas were threatened by erosion, what sites existed there, and which ones were most at risk. These are just two examples. The potential for these methods of analysis in archaeology is limitless.
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