Leaving or rescuing the (story) map? – commentary to Saxinger, Sancho Reinoso and Wentzel

This paper reflects on some issues raised by the reading of Saxinger, Sancho Reinoso and Wentzel essay (published in last issue Fennia) their theoretical methodological concerns how to conciliate geographic information systems (GIS) ontology with representation spatial-fuzzy qualitative data emerging out ethnographic research. Recalling intense debate between cartographers, GIS scientists human geographers limits failures cartographic representation, counterfactual doubt Pickles his book A History Spaces: Cartographic Reason, Mapping, Geo-coded World, published 2004, resonates strongly: “What if, after all, cartography maps were not what we thought they . or at least only were?” (page 194). Restoring such a question for sake this commentary is way rework an era pervasive digital mapping, replacing “quantitative” map “story” – dialectical model that has accompanied critique during 1980s 1990s but multiplying perspectives humanistic potential maps, moving beyond narrowed normative focus “effective” storytelling as put recent The ESRI Story Map.