Article
Potential of Geospatial Technologies as a Cognitive and Spatio-visual tool for Mapping the Past

By : M B Rajani , Shalini Dixit

Page No: 73-92

Abstract
A Major challenge in understanding the past is that it is not available for exploration at present. The sections of history that deal with geographical associates of human endeavours also pose a challenge to the readers and learners about the scale and experience of a past landscape. Despite the cognitive and reasoning capabilities of individuals, views of an entire landscape cannot be achieved by normal eye view. Geospatial technologies provide immense potential for accessing historical landscape and past realities. The tools are helpful in twin ways. Firstly, they enable learners to understand the existing information about landscape by providing synoptic and 3D Views through interactive visualisation tools. Secondly, they enable researchers to look for clues to the past settlements in a landscape in ways that are not otherwise possible, i.e. "see" through infrared lens and integrate evidence gained from observations made across different times. The present paper discusses some of these advantages that we gain by applying gospatial technologies to normal human perceptions.

Authors :
Dr. M B Rajani is an Associate Professor in the School of Humanities, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

Dr. Shalini Dixit is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.