Francis Harvey

1. The digital humanities is a broad field encompassing multiple scientific disciplines and involving research with digital resources in the humanities (Burdick et al., 2012; Schreibman et al., 201...

This abstract presents work in progress to use state-of-the-art image segmentation approaches for the comparison of old maps. We are combining Zero Shot models like Segment Anything (SAM) and supervised models to efficiently classify buildings and streets on old maps. Further, we have taken the important software package Map Analyst (public domain) and are in the process of importing its features into a modern web application to map the same regions on different maps and time frames to another. The goal is to have a web application that allows domain experts to segment and classify old maps supported by visualization and labeling. We also are systematically describing the process of preparing digitized old maps for comparison operations. This focuses on geometrical aspects, especially establishing projection parameters and the assessment of geometrical accuracy. Working with twentieth century maps from the Warsaw area we faced some interesting challenges in the cartographic realm that are immediately relevant in Poland for historical research with old maps, yet also of relevance for other areas of the world. The presentation also considers geosemantical issues related to the work in different time periods with similar cartographical materials.

Communication involving visualizations in science and applications involves or even requires coordination. Much visualization research focuses on tasks in research or applications and provides valuable insights that help improve these modes and means of communication. That focus and resulting benefits makes a reduction to tasks or defined goals seem amenable for a more thorough consideration of social and cultural aspects. This contribution to the focus topicInsights in Visual Communicationsuggests that the boundary object concept can greatly help deepen considerations of social and cultural heterogeneity and adds insights and perspectives to better consider social and cultural aspects of visual communication. The theoretical concept of boundary objects, originating in heterogeneous distributed problem solving research, offer a pragmatic basis for enhancing visual communication to improve meaning production. The overarching issue for developing this direction in visual communication can be formulated through a broad question: In heterogeneous situations, how can research enhance communication involving visual objects for problem solving through a consideration of social and cultural aspects? I consider an example of cooperative design of maps to show how research can benefit from a consideration of boundary objects. The example highlights a cooperative mode of visual communication used in decision making involving both explicit and implicit goals and aspects from a cognitive perspective. The potential for improvements and better solutions in visual communication can benefit from a stronger consideration of the boundary objects concept.

In December 2020 the ICA joined the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) as an associate member. As a community composed of businesses, government agencies, universities, and research organizations that work with geospatial data, the OCG is a resource to which software developers who work with geospatial data turn for guidance and advice. As such, it provides the ICA with an opportunity to reach a group of people who might not have had prior experience or background in cartography.

For a preliminary study in an ongoing research project, which develops spatial and cartographic approaches to historical research, we conduct an eye-tracking study to identify and assess the challenges of map usage for social scientists working in the digital humanities. We report on this research at an early stage to engage other researchers working on similar issues. In this part of a larger research project, we aim to identify challenges in map use and improve cartographic visualisation methods and techniques to fit the digital humanities context better. We present early results based on a pilot study involving thematic maps supplemented with other visualisation types like tables, graphs and tables. We present the challenges (task difficulties, problems with the interfaces, errors in retrieving information etc.) that study participants had using visualisations applied in an interactive environment. Our anticipated results suggest that prior experience with maps and interactive tools significantly impacts the challenges. We expect the speed at which participants mitigate challenges depends on their experience. The quality of resolving tasks involving map use initially varies, but differences in later tasks referring to maps decrease, which suggests map use can be readily learned and applied. This suggests that user interfaces based on maps with some elementary usage tips help users who need to learn the specifics of that interface for maps rapidly. We look forward to discussing these results. Maps in digital humanities are used for many types of tasks. We selected several types of operations tested in the context of geovisualization. We are interested in how researchers identify items and places on maps, locate thematic distributions, distinguish quantities of items, and visually organise and cluster items and places using spatiotemporal data visualised with various forms. Eye-tracking data is collected to get an insight into task-solving and participants' cognitive effort (fig. 1) since the eye-tracking technique has been successfully applied to digital humanities research (Saparova 2020, Zen et al. 2020). For the tested visualisations, we use a software package called Nodegoat, widely used in the digital humanities for network analysis (fig. 2). Its design and functionality integrate database, interpretative research and visualisation tools, making it readily accessible and usable in the digital humanities. The mapping abilities are part of the provided visualisation functions. The tasks emphasise the use of maps and consider how different academic backgrounds influence the use of maps in tasks for historical analysis. We have focused on questions with a distinct geographical dimension for study purposes. Nodegoat allows us to contrast map-based approaches to specific tasks using tabular and chart visualisations. In the work-in-progress study, users are given tasks referring to analytical operations involving interpreting historical information. Specifically, we use data from the George Sand and Fryderyk Chopin correspondence collection of the National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw, Poland. Participants are asked to complete 10 tasks in randomised order, for example: How many letters were sent from Fryderyk Chopin in Paris to George Sand? Or Who sent the letter from Paris in April of 1838? Each participant uses the software with prior instruction. This creates a baseline of abilities in using the software and allows us to compare the task-solving steps using the map-based, graphical and tabular interfaces of Nodegoat. As this is a pilot study, we are very interested in discussing the findings and our plans for the full study with conference participants.