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Resituating Spatial Data and Storytelling in the Map
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:13:59
Abstract
The course introduces critical mapping discourse and teaches spatial research and communication with GIS and web cartography. Mixing theory and hands-on work, students distinguish spatial data types and critically evaluate their limits. By the end, they can acquire, process, and analyze spatial datasets and code a web-based story map to share results.
Objective
- Identify key notions and influential texts in critical cartography discourse Design and communicate spatial narratives through critical and aesthetic cartographic practices. - Acquire, process, and visualize spatial data in diverse formats (vector, raster, qualitative, and historical) using appropriate methods. - Integrate and curate spatial datasets from multiple sources using digital tools such as QGIS and web mapping technologies to represent and effectively communicate complex spatial phenomena. - Develop and implement interactive web maps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, incorporating narrative and design principles for spatial storytelling.
Content
Week 1: Introduction to Critical Cartography and Semester Overview By the end of the first session, students will understand key concepts and debates in critical cartography, distinguishing them from traditional mapping approaches. They will be able to reference influential texts shaping the field and critically identify how maps operate as instruments of power, knowledge, and representation. Week 2 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) By the end of this session, students will understand the basic functions and applications of QGIS and the principles of spatial data management. They will be able to navigate the software interface, create and organize projects, and add, manage, and visualize spatial data using open-source tools. Week 3: Working with Spatial Data 1: Mapping Existing Datasets (Vector Objects) This session is Part 1 of 3 in the Working with Spatial Data series. By learning to distinguish between different spatial data types and sources, students will be better equipped to evaluate the limitations, assumptions, and abstractions that come with different data representations. By the end of this session, students will: Understand how vector data are produced and in which formats they are stored. Week 4: Working with Spatial Data 2: Remote Sensing (Raster Objects) In part 2 of 3 of the Working with Spatial Data series, students will understand how spatial data are represented and stored as raster datasets composed of pixel-based information. They will learn how to acquire and preprocess raw satellite imagery, combine and analyze spectral bands, and calculate environmental indices to support spatial analysis. The session introduces key concepts in remote sensing, including spatial resolution, spectral composition, and raster data visualization, enabling students to interpret and apply remotely sensed data in geographic analysis. Week 5: Working with Spatial Data 3: Georeferencing Archival Maps and Quantifying Qualitative Spatial Data By the end of this session, students will understand how to integrate historical and qualitative spatial sources into digital mapping environments. They will learn techniques for georeferencing archival maps, aligning them with contemporary spatial datasets, and digitizing key features for analysis. Week: 6 Introduction to Web Cartography 1: Building Blocks of a Basic Web Map By the end of this session, students will understand the principles of web-based cartography and the role of storytelling in map communication. They will learn the basic building blocks of a web map using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and be able to produce a simple, functional online map using a scrollytelling library. The session will also introduce examples of story maps to illustrate how narrative mapping can engage audiences and convey spatial information effectively. Week 7: Introduction to Web Cartography 2: Integrating Spatial Data into a Web Map By the end of this session, students will deepen their skills in integrating, linking, and visualizing diverse types of spatial data within a web mapping environment. They will learn how to curate datasets effectively to enhance the narrative and analytical value of web maps. The session will also include an overview of the case study component and a briefing on the final project requirements and submission process Weeks 8-11: Supervised Research and Project Development During these sessions, students will work independently under guided supervision to advance their final web mapping projects.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , MSC
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 18
- Signup End
- 16.02.2026
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Resituating Spatial Data and Storytelling in the Map |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Core Courses (The core courses build on the basic courses and convey basic, broad knowledge in the core areas of landscape architecture in relation to design lessons. Some of the core courses are compulsory and some are freely selectable. Further details, in particular about taking these subjects, for performance assessments and for compensating for failed subjects, are regulated in Art. 27 and Art. 31 Paragraph 4.)
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