Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Historical Research

The author of the article discusses the application of GIS systems for historical research as well as for presenting the research results. The fi rst part of the article contains defi nitions of GIS and a short history of the method development in the second half of the 20thcentury. Afterwards the article focuses on scant sources on the subject in the Polish language and slightly less so in English. Since an essential aspect of the issue is the software employed for the research, the author presents its short characteristics and systematization. The most interesting historical GIS projects, which may become an inspiration for other researchers in Poland, are also described in the body of the article. The author warns against excessive enthusiasm for this methodology, emphasizing that its proper application requires interdisciplinary knowledge comprising historical cartography, IT and spatial analysis. Alongside the use of GIS in space-related historical research, one should also bear in mind that it is an attractive tool for presenting the results and it may contribute to spread such results among a wider audience through the Internet.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Historical Research

The author of the article discusses the application of GIS systems for historical research as well as for presenting the research results. The fi rst part of the article contains defi nitions of GIS and a short history of the method development in the second half of the 20thcentury. Afterwards the article focuses on scant sources on the subject in the Polish language and slightly less so in English. Since an essential aspect of the issue is the software employed for the research, the author presents its short characteristics and systematization. The most interesting historical GIS projects, which may become an inspiration for other researchers in Poland, are also described in the body of the article. The author warns against excessive enthusiasm for this methodology, emphasizing that its proper application requires interdisciplinary knowledge comprising historical cartography, IT and spatial analysis. Alongside the use of GIS in space-related historical research, one should also bear in mind that it is an attractive tool for presenting the results and it may contribute to spread such results among a wider audience through the Internet.