Webgis "Mapping and Translating"

For the organization and mapping of data relating to communicative, linguistic, and translational phenomena drawn from missionary sources (16th–17th centuries) and mercantile sources (15th–17th centuries), the Mapping and Translating WebGIS was developed. This choice responds to the need to represent not only the quantity of information collected, but above all its spatialization, complexity, and the relationships that connect it.

It was considered appropriate to present this information in spatial form, through a map in which “georeferenced points” correspond to the locations where communicative events took place.

In addition to their cartographic representation (“mise en carte”), communicative events—organized into the categories “Interactions,” “Outcomes,” and “Authors”—are also structured in lists and textual sections. These lists include records that, although present in the sources, could not be mapped. Some of the places mentioned in the consulted sources can no longer be identified with precision or have not yet been linked to modern toponyms. Consequently, not all data can be fully georeferenced.

Interface

The WebGIS interface opens onto a global-scale interactive map, which constitutes the core of the system and on which points and, in some cases, areas corresponding to the collected data are displayed. The map is accompanied by a side panel that allows users to activate and combine different information layers and apply thematic and chronological filters, dynamically modifying the visualization. The organization of the data is based on two main layers, “Interactions” and “Outcomes,” which represent distinct but closely interconnected levels.

“Interactions” Layer

The “Interactions” layer collects and visualizes communicative dynamics and is structured into two main domains: Religious agents and Lay agents. The inclusion of lay agents reflects the fact that in some contexts interactions began well before missionary “experimentation,” as in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Within these categories, filters allow the selection of specific Religious agents associated with particular missionary contexts (Augustinian, Capuchin, Carmelite—both calced and discalced—Dominican, Franciscan, Jesuit missions, and Propaganda Fide). Lay agents include six types of actors (diplomats, interpreters, merchants, military personnel, navigators, and scribes). These options can be activated individually or in combination, enabling both targeted analyses and integrated views of the phenomena.

A key feature is the chronological filter (“from…to”), which allows users to select specific time intervals and visualize only the relevant interactions. In this way, the map represents not only spatial distribution but also temporal dimension and change over time.

“Outcomes” Layer

The “Outcomes” layer is dedicated to works produced as a result of interactions, such as Adaptations, Cartilhas, Catechisms, Dictionaries, Doctrines, Iconographic sources, Material sources, Grammars, Maps, and Translations. Here as well, filters can be applied by type, allowing users to observe the geographical distribution of outcomes and relate them to the missionary contexts that generated them.

Map Functionality

Interaction with the map occurs through the selection of points or areas, which open preview cards providing access to more detailed descriptions. These cards are structured through informational fields relating to context, actors involved, languages, and sources, and are designed to be interconnected through internal references, for example to authors or languages.

Functionality of Interactions, Outcomes, Authority Files

Alongside the map, the system includes a section dedicated to interactions organized in list form, allowing direct consultation of the entire database underlying the WebGIS, independently of the map. This mode is particularly important for including data that cannot be precisely georeferenced, thus avoiding their exclusion and ensuring the integrity of the corpus.

The “Outcomes” section gathers the recorded works in list form and provides access to detailed descriptive entries for each item. Outcomes are thus presented not as isolated elements, but as part of broader processes, linked to the interactions from which they derive.

The “Authority files” section includes brief biographies of the agents identified in the sources. In this case, these data are not directly represented on the map, although they are integrated into the “Interactions” and “Outcomes” records. It is important to emphasize that the MaT research has shown that processes of linguistic mediation and translation involved a plurality of agents who cannot be individually identified: the communities involved in communicative processes were largely composed of actors who, although mentioned in the sources, remained anonymous. Authority files therefore make explicit named references where available, fulfilling a function of normalization and orientation, but they do not exhaust the range of agents involved.

Interoperability

Overall, the WebGIS is configured as a complex system integrating cartographic visualization, analytical consultation, and relational data organization. The possibility of moving between the map and the database, and of combining spatial, temporal, and thematic filters, allows the complexity of the studied dynamics to be effectively represented, maintaining a balance between geographical dimension, documentary depth, and attention to processes.