Announcing the New Mappings Collaboratory

I'm happy to announce the formation of the New Mappings Collaboratory associated with the Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky. It is strongly tied to the research interests of the Floating Sheep blog but also includes new areas of interest (see below) brought by the department's new GIS faculty. I encourage students interested in graduate studies in these areas to apply for study at the University of Kentucky.

“New Maps” draws upon both applied and conceptual traditions in mapping practices and mapping thought and represents a stream of scholarship focused on public engagement, “big data” and user-generated Internet content, as well as experimentation in place-based thinking, analysis, and representation. As a catalyst for mapping engagements on and off campus, New Maps works to promote creativity, excellence, and interaction around emergent mapping and GIS technologies. A range of faculty from the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences (in addition to Geography) are engaged with the New Maps project.

Current faculty and graduate students research projects/interests include:

• Collection and analysis of a range of user generated data including Twitter Tweets, Google Placemarks and Flickr photos;
• Analyzing the spatiality of online social networks through volunteered geographic data;
• Working with community partners to design and build participatory GIS and mapping tools and products;
• Citizen science in the production of scientific knowledge, including do-it-yourself aerial image capture using helium balloons and kites;
• Applying GIS techniques to the digital humanities and related disciplines; and
• Ethics, implications, and the use of geographic information and technologies in an age of ubiquitous location and surveillance.

More details on applying for graduate study are available here. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2012. Fellowships and teaching assistantships (including full tuition waivers) are available on a competitive basis.

For more information please please contact me or Dr Jeremy Crampton or Dr. Matthew Wilson.