TODAY, November 3, 3:00pm in College of Liberal Arts building, room 2310
John Hessler, Library of Congress
“Algorithmic Democracy: Supercomputing GIS, the Supreme Court and Gerrymandering”
Gerrymandering has a long history in both politics and cartography. Today however, with the use of specialized algorithms and supercomputers, it has become a mapping project very different from what it was in the 19th and 20th centuries. John Hessler of the Library of Congress will give an introduction to the modern science of gerrymandering and talk about how massively parallel computation is giving rise to new forms of cartography based on the processing of huge amounts of thematic data. These maps and simulations are revealing hidden patterns in voting behavior and have led to new and interesting forms of cartographic visualization and created deep questions concerning what constitutes a gerrymandered map. Mr. Hessler’s talk will also give context to current questions before the Supreme Court on gerrymandering.
For more information, contact the Department of Geography and Environmental Planning at geography@towson.edu.
