Mapping Memory
What Pauliceia 2.0 Can Teach Us About Collaborative Historical Research
As Neighbor Historians, we can say that every block holds a story—and every story deserves a map. The academic paper "A Platform for Collaborative Historical Research based on Volunteered Geographical Information" offers a powerful case study of how technology can turn urban memory into civic infrastructure.
Pauliceia 2.0 is a digital humanities platform built to document the history of São Paulo, Brazil, between 1870 and 1940. But what makes it remarkable isn’t just the data—it’s how the data is gathered, organized, and shared. Through a blend of crowdsourcing (aka Volunteered Geographical Information) and archival integration, it enables both historians and residents to geocode historical addresses, contribute contextual data, and build layered maps of urban transformation.
Why This Matters for Neighbor Historians
What Pauliceia 2.0 shows us is what happens when we treat place as both archive and conversation. It aligns with our goals: democratizing access to history, encouraging community storytelling, and building shared spatial narratives.
We’re not just tracking family lines. We’re tracing connections—between homes, schools, factories, churches, footpaths, and forgotten bus stops. What Pauliceia does with city blocks, Neighbor History wants to do with neighborhoods everywhere.
A Few Key Takeaways from the Platform’s Design:
Geocoding old addresses isn’t a side task—it’s foundational
Community-contributed data can be trustworthy with the right workflow
Open-access maps allow for storytelling at scale
Public contributions are valued not just as data, but as perspective
Where Do We Go from Here?
Imagine adapting elements of Pauliceia 2.0 for towns across the U.S.—especially those already running If This House Could Talk programs or engaging in local preservation efforts. What if we invited residents to help build spatisual archives of community?