Recent text digitization efforts make it possible to extract implicit and explicit spatio-temporal information with automated methods. We propose a GIScience approach to information search and access to visually explore digital text archives typically employed in the humanities. We detail how to extract and reorganize spatio-temporal information buried in text documents about Swiss history, based on established GIScience methods, and how to present this information to target users in an empirically evaluated visual analytics interface. Early involvement of users in this user-centered interface design process significantly improved initial design ideas. With this interdisciplinary approach to spatiotemporal information exploration and search, we hope to provide the digital humanities community novel ways to access and explore large text archives containing spatio-temporal information. How does GIScience support spatio-temporal information search in the humanities?André Bruggmann and Sara I. Fabrikant University of Zurich, Department of Geography, Zurich, SwitzerlandRecent text digitization efforts make it possible to extract implicit and explicit spatio-temporal information with automated methods. We propose a GIScience approach to information search and access to visually explore digital text archives typically employed in the humanities. We detail how to extract and reorganize spatio-temporal information buried in text documents about Swiss history, based on established GIScience methods, and how to present this information to target users in an empirically evaluated visual analytics interface. Early involvement of users in this user-centered interface design process significantly improved initial design ideas. With this interdisciplinary approach to spatio-temporal information exploration and search, we hope to provide the digital humanities community novel ways to access and explore large text archives containing spatio-temporal information.

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Finding and selecting interesting and relevant information in large online digital text archives can be challenging. We tackle this information access problem from a geographic information science perspective using a case study exploring a semi-structured historical encyclopedia. We propose a three-pronged approach for this, based around (1) automatic retrieval of spatio-temporal and thematic information from digital text documents; (2) transformation of the extracted information to spatialize and visualize spatio-temporal and thematic structures; and (3) integration of the spatialized displays in an interactive web interface driven by a user-centered design and evaluation approach. We implemented an interactive spatialized network display to allow identification of spatio-temporal relationships hidden in the text archive, complemented by an interactive self-organizing map display to visualize thematic relationships in these text documents. We evaluated the utility and usability of the developed interface in a user study with digital humanities scholars. Empirical results show that the developed interface supports target users in the humanities uncovering latent spatio-temporal and thematic relationships and generated new insights through the spatialized text collection. Adopting this approach, we illustrate one avenue to addressing the information access problem in the digital humanities from a GIScience perspective.

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