Local Model Semantics, Categories, and External Representation: Towards a Model for Geo-historical Context

Perspectives within social interaction situations are often shaped by geo-historical contexts derived from knowledge of indirectly experienceable phenomena such as geographic scale entities and past events that are communicated through external representations such as maps and historical accounts. Although geo-historical context is important for proving meaning to collaborative situations, no formal approach for modeling geo-historical context exists. This paper will provide a preliminary analysis of how select aspects of Local Model Semantics (LMS), used in conjunction with geographic and historic categories, can be used to theoretically inform the formal modeling of geo-historical context and how external representations affect geographical and historical categories. A brief case-study example will be given to show how geo-visual tools theoretically informed by LMS, geographical and historical categories, and external representation can support the development of geohistorical context from heterogeneous sources in a collaborative setting.