The Geohistorical Approach

This book gives a comprehensive view of the strengths and limits of the interdisciplinary methods that work together to form the geohistorical approach to geographical and geological sciences. The geohistorical approach can be synthetically defined as a multi- and interdisciplinary approach that uses techniques and perspectives, mainly from geography, history, and natural sciences, to examine topics that inform the space-time knowledge of environment, territory, and landscape. The boundary between the application of physical and human science methods is large and hazy. This volume exists at this boundary and offers an approach that utilizes both historical data (from both physical and human records) and GIScience (e.g. GIS, cartography, GPS, remote sensing) to investigate the evolution of the environment, territory and landscape through both space and time.

The first objective of this volume is to define the term geohistorical approach. An entire chapter focuses on a review of the main disciplines that connect geography and history, a review of the terms environment, territory, and landscape as objects of study of this approach, and the definition and importance of the geohistorical approach. The second goal is to describe the methods used in the geohistorical approach. Eight chapters present the key methods also using examples of applications from the international context, offering an awareness of the potentials, limitations and accuracy of each method, with particular focus on the integration of methods. The third goal is to provide case studies to demonstrate the use and integration of geohistorical methods from both original material and published research. A final chapter is dedicated to an interdisciplinary case study from the Venetian Plain (Italy), providing an example of the integration of almost all methods described in the book.

Autorentext

Silvia Elena Piovan is tenured Researcher in the Department of History, Geography, and Antiquity Sciences at the University of Padova. She is also an Affiliate assistant professor at the Department of Geography, University of South Carolina. Dr. Piovan is Scientific Responsible of GIS Laboratory of the DiSSGeA Geography Section in Padova. Her research focuses on human and environment interaction with particular interests in the evolution of hydrological systems and human response. Her work has been funded by numerous agencies both in Italy and abroad, such as CaRiPaRo, MIUR, University of Padova, South Carolina Army National Guard, South Carolina Department of Transportation. Her current work focuses on the uniqueness of human management of forests and the mobility of people and coal in Kentucky.

Inhalt

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. The Geo-Historical Approach in Environmental and Territorial Studies.- Chapter 3. Modern Maps.- Chapter 4. Historical Maps.- Chapter 5. Written Documents and Cultural Artifacts.- Chapter 6. Geographic Information System (GIS).- Chapter 7. Remote Sensing.- Chapter 8. Processing of Stratigraphical Archives.- Chapter 9. Other Methods.- Chapter 10. The Geo-Historical Approach in the Southern Venetian Plain.