The TOFLIT18 datascape of French international trade

To study the transformations of the French economy in the long eighteenth century, we created both a dataset and an interactive data visualisation tool. To transform the transcriptions of 18th century French trade archives into a research tool we built a Information System which comprises a data versioning system, a graph database and a web application which allow researchers to widen their understanding of 18th century French international trade through both quantitative and qualitative analysis (http://toflit18.medialab.sciences-po.fr/). We will present the main concepts and visualization means of the TOFLIT18 datascape which can then be mobilized in a hands-on session. Participants will explore the large TOFLIT18 database of French trade flows between 1714 and 1821 by product and partners to gain new insights on issues such as the economic life and representations of eighteenth-century French consumers, producers and administrators and how they were transformed throughout the century.