Cultural Dasymetric Population Mapping with Historical GIS: A Case Study from the Southern Appalachians

There has been a recent flurry of interest in dasymetric population mapping. However, the ancillary coverages that underlie current dasymetric methods are unconnected to cultural context. The resulting regions may indicate density patterns, but not necessarily the boundaries known to inhabitants. Dasymetric population mapping is capable of capturing the cultural commonality and community interaction that define social spaces. Dasymetric mapping may be improved with methodologies that reflect the ways in which social spaces are established. This research applies a historical GIS methodology for identifying early 20th Century agricultural neighborhoods in southern Appalachia. The case study is intended to encourage discovery of additional methods for mapping population on the scale of lived experience.