GIS for Language Study (LanGIS)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are computerized information systems for collecting, storing, managing, and analyzing location-based data. The revolution in methodology that GIS has brought about has shown its clear effect in several fields of science, including linguistics. Internationally, language research using GIS methods is a growing field. Areas of application for GIS range from general linguistics and variational linguistics to runology and onomastics. The aim of the planned research environment is to digitize the faculty's research on location-based materials by popularizing the use of GIS as well as by creating a platform for cooperation for research staff in the faculty. Such a platform has the potential to contribute to interdisciplinary collaborations within and outside the faculty and university.

The research environment will undertake a series of activities over two years to explore the analytical tools provided by GIS together, thereby giving the faculty's research on location-based materials a lift. At the seminars and workshops planned under this initiative, the emphasis will be placed on method development in concrete mini-projects that representatives from the different subject areas and institutions will plan together. GIS is a new phenomenon at the faculty. We will therefore draw upon international expertise to promote discussion on GIS methods and areas of application. The research environment's activities will be concluded with an “inspiration workshop” where the faculty's need for a GIS infrastructure for research and teaching will be discussed.

Contact: Alexandra Petrulevich