Machines Reading Maps builds automatic methods to normalize text in historical maps as a new kind of data that can be used across the humanities and the heritage sector. By building “Machines Reading Maps,” humanists and heritage professionals can tap into a previously inaccessible body of knowledge that has remained locked in historical maps by making the text on maps searchable and linked to other geospatial data and collections.
Innovations in this project include developing the ability to read map content at scale using tools for text (as opposed to images), integrating place entity linking and image annotation tools to make text on maps meaningful, and improving map discovery and collection histories at cultural institutions.
This project will contribute the growth in the scholarly community working with research questions about the spatial experience of industrialization in 19th-century Great Britain and social change in US cities during the 20th century.
Facts:
- Projektbeginn: March 2021
- Projektdauer: 2 years
- Budget: ca. 300kEUR
- Förderung: United States National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
