Abstract

Using GIS to Map the Timeline of the American Frontier
Track: Census
Authors: Brady Foust

The American Frontier has been roughly defined as the 10 people per square mile isopleth. Spotty data from the Census of 1790 onward requires a consistent and rigorous method of interpolation to define the frontier that only GIS can provide. The GIS techniques used in this presentation also reveal the geographical and technological factors that caused the frontier to wax and wane along the general trend throughout its history.