Mapping Historical IPUMS Microdata at the Micro-Scale in the Copper Country

Dan Trepal, Michigan Technological University

This paper gives an overview of a GIS-based methodology used to create a multiscale historical reconstruction of the built and social Environments of the Copper Country, a historical mining region located on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, between c. 1850-1950. IPUMS census microdata contains a great deal of detailed information about historical individuals, but the numerous well-known challenges inherent in spatializing historical microdata data usually preclude mapping of IPUMS records at the micro-scale. As part of the ongoing Keweenaw Time Traveler Project, we introduce our own innovative methods for mapping historical big datasets at the micro-scale, compare our results to previous attempts at geocoding census data, and discuss the challenges and benefits of spatializing historical populations at finer scales.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 77. Mapping Spatial Microdata