O SIG do passado tem futuro? A experiência do Hímaco como subsídio ao debate

Abstract

The analysis of the use of technologies by historians has to consider many ambiguities. From the outset, computing demands precisions that history can not provide. On the other hand, technologies promise seductive methodological gains. Thus, the balance between challenges and opportunities shapes the work of those historians who seek to exploit digital technologies. As in Brazil these are still few, it makes sense to share experiences and reflections on the theme. This is the meaning of this article, which offers the analysis of the course of a research group of Unifesp, the Himaco (History, maps and computers). The use of geotechnologies, particularly Geographic Information Systems (GIS), characterizes the projects of the group.