Approaches to Spatializing Qualitative Data

Abstract

This study investigates how researchers use technology to create geographic visualizations that provide spatial context for displaying and accessing qualitative data such as texts, photographs, videos, and/or audio recordings. I interviewed 21 individuals on their experiences with spatializing qualitative data, which I define as displaying and analyzing data that are not numerical or categorical (e.g., texts, images, videos, and audio recordings) in the spatial context of a geographic map. I conducted semistructured interviews with nineteen researchers in geography, social science, and humanities disciplines and two GIS professionals in the energy industry. I took an inductive approach to qualitatively analyzing these interviews, performing thematic coding and writing analytic memos. I identified themes of storytelling, data strategies, technological solutions, and collaboration, which are highlighted and discussed. The results of this study show that researchers across disciplines are not only interested in but are successfully finding ways to spatialize qualitative data. Additionally, shortcomings of off-the-shelf software applications, ethical implications of locational data privacy, and confusion surrounding terminology are identified as opportunities for future research.