This announcement is being re-posted partly because we are nearing the
deadline for applications -- which can be submitted electronically but must
go through the personnel office, not sent to me. However, the other reason
is that the details below hopefully make it clear that there were longer
term possibilities beyond the initial two years, but was very vague about
them. I can now be a LITTLE less vague: we have been short-listed for
National Lottery Funding which would substantially extend the project and
post in the direction of on-line GIS visualisation (targeted partly at 8-11
years olds!). I can say a little more to anyone who contacts me, but NB we
will not know for sure about this for many months -- the firm funding is
for two years.
As before, if you are applying please write a letter of application going
into detail about ArcInfo and other RELEVANT experience. A CV claiming
equal expertise in 12 different GIS software platforms is unhelpful!
Humphrey Southall
============================================================================
===
GREAT BRITAIN HISTORICAL GIS PROJECT:
TWO YEAR RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP
This post is funded for 18 months by the Wellcome Trust with some
additional funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and
Portsmouth University, making 2 years in all. You have probably just
completed a BSc or MSc in GIS, or are completing one this summer, and we
expect to provide further training in working with one of the largest
temporal GISs ever built. You will join this successful project as our
focus shifts from construction to analysis, working with a wide network of
outside collaborators to understand long-run changes in Britain's
population, economy and society. We hope you will become increasingly
responsible for the technical development of a key national resource.
================================
THE GREAT BRITAIN HISTORICAL GIS
================================
Over the last two centuries, a vast mass of spatial data about Britain has
been gathered by the Censuses of Population and the vital registration
system. However, it is hard to use most of this information unless we know
what geographical area it is about, systematic 'modern' spatial frameworks
for the census date only from 1981, and the system of reporting units has
been subject to both complete transformations - in 1911, the mid-1930s and
1974 - and constant revision of individual boundaries. Our historical GIS
is a research tool enabling us to cut through all this complexity to
important underlying trends from the mid-19th century to the present.
Since 1994, with total funding of over Pnds 850,000 from the Economic and
Social Research Council and many other bodies, we have constructed a GIS
for England and Wales which has established itself as the authoritative
record of the country's past geographies, with support from organisations
such as the Office of National Statistics, the National Monuments Record
and the National Council on Archives, as well as a wide network of academic
collaborators. The system contains the changing boundaries of c. 630
Registration Districts c.1840-1911, c. 1,800 Local Government Districts
1911-74 and, crucially, c. 15,000 Civil Parishes 1876-1974. Our ArcInfo
GIS is linked to a large Oracle database including data from every census
since 1801, mortality statistics since 1840 and many other sources, much of
this input by our Belfast-based data entry team.
>From October 2000, our Portsmouth team will consist of Humphrey Southall,
the project's director, who holds an ESRC Research Fellowship until
December 2001; Ian Gregory, the system's architect, internally funded by
Portsmouth University until 2004; and two new research assistants, one
working on extending our gazetteers and this post. For more information, see:
http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/gbhgis
=========================
MAPPING MORTALITY DECLINE
=========================
Funding for the post comes mainly from a new project funded by the Wellcome
Trust, 'Building the National Health: Achieving mortality decline in
Britain 1851-1939', with some additional funding from another project on
changing mortality since 1920 which is part of the ESRC Health Variations
Programme, and from the University of Portsmouth itself.
Drawing overall conclusions about mortality decline will be the
responsibility of a research fellow, currently being appointed, and a wide
network of collaborators. However, the GIS team's contribution is crucial:
the existing history of mortality decline generally ends in 1911 simply
because the Registrar General's reports replaced Registration Districts
with Local Government Districts as their main reporting units in that year.
Further, many explanatory variables were recorded for quite different
geographies.
The central task of the GIS team is to use the GIS, and vector overlay
methodologies refined by Ian Gregory, to re-allocate the available data to
standardised output geographies, permitting systematic analysis covering
long periods and many variables. One way you will gain experience in
working with the existing GIS for England and Wales will be by adding a
temporal GIS covering 20th century Scotland, collaborating with colleagues
in Edinburgh. We will also be integrating a separate database covering
the developing hospital system, already assembled by John Mohan (Portsmouth).
========
THE POST
========
In creating this post, our goal is not simply to support our programme of
research into mortality decline but to further develop our historical GIS
as a national resource and, more generally, historical/temporal GIS as a
specialism: we are looking for someone interested in making a long-term
commitment to this exciting new area of GIS research. You will have the
option of registering for a part-time Ph.D. on a topic linked to the
project. Relevant skills are:
==> So as to work with our existing system, you must have extended
experience of Arc/Info GIS software, i.e. used it in employment or for a
substantial project.
==> You must be experienced in working with programming languages, and if
possible with programming in Arc Macro Language (AML).
==> Knowledge of relational database management systems and SQL, and
particularly Oracle, is highly desirable.
==> You will be broadly familiar with Britain's geography and history, and
an orientation towards social science rather than environmental science
would be an advantage.
==> Although we expect much of the first year to be taken up with you
extending your expertise, you must take the lead in this process, seeking
assistance as required.
Salary is up to Pnds 16,556 per annum (Research Associate 2 scale). A pay
award is pending and would take effect from September 2000. The post is
available from 1st October 2000, for two years fixed term..
============
HOW TO APPLY:
============
Applications must be received by July 12th 2000, using an official
application form. To obtain a form and further details, contact our
Personnel Office on (023) 9284 3421 or at [log in to unmask], quoting
reference RENV0030. To discuss the post informally, contact Dr. Humphrey
Southall ([log in to unmask]) or Ian Gregory
([log in to unmask]), both on (023) 9284 2500.
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICANTS FROM OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL ONLY BE
CONSIDERED IF THEY INDICATE THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO WORK IN THE U.K. OR
ARE LIKELY TO OBTAIN A WORK PERMIT. APPLICATIONS _MUST_ BE SENT TO THE
PERSONNEL OFFICE, NOT TO DR. SOUTHALL. YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO INCLUDE
A LETTER OF APPLICATION, EXPLAINING WHY YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE SUITED TO THE
POST, AS WELL AS AN APPLICATION FORM AND STANDARD C.V.; a visit to our web
site would probably help you write this.
====================================================
Dr. Humphrey Southall,
Reader in Geography,
Department of Geography,
University of Portsmouth,
Buckingham Building,
Lion Terrace,
PORTSMOUTH PO1 3HE, ENGLAND
Direct Line: (023) 9284 2500
Dept. Fax: (023) 9284 2512
Mobile: (0796) 808 5454
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