Deep mapping middletown: representing ethnographic data spatially

Abstract

This presentation reviews several conceptual and technical challenges associated with the newly launched Deep Mapping Middletown project. Organized by a team of scholars and librarians from several institutions, the project will produce a deep map (or maps) based on the extensive archive created by the century of social research focused on Muncie, Indiana as a result of its role in the Middletown studies conducted by Robert and Helen Lynd. A key goal of this effort is to develop immersive experiences that draw upon the data collected through the investigations of "Middletown" that have been completed over the course of the last century. The project represents an opportunity to address questions tied to the spatialization of data derived from ethnographic texts, survey questionnaires, oral histories and other forms of social research.