Gilles Palsky (born 1958), is a French geographer and Professor at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris, France from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the editorial board of ''Cybergéo'' and ''Imago Mundi,'' and known for his work on the history of

statistical graphics Statistical graphics, also known as statistical graphical techniques, are graphics used in the field of statistics for data visualization. Overview Whereas statistics and data analysis procedures generally yield their output in numeric or tabul ...

and

thematic map A thematic map is a type of map that portrays the geographic pattern of a particular subject matter (theme) in a geographic area. This usually involves the use of map symbols to Geovisualization, visualize selected properties of geographic fe ...

ping in the 19th century.Friendly, Michael, and Daniel J. Denis.
Milestones in the history of thematic cartography, statistical graphics, and data visualization
" ''Seeing Science: Today American Association for the Advancement of Science'' (2008).

Biography

Palsky was a student at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Saint-Cloud from 1978 to 1983. He graduated in 1981 in the field of history of geography. In 1990 he obtained his PhD from the University of Paris 1 with a thesis on the history of quantitative mapping before 1914, which was subsequently published in 1996. In 2003 he obtained his habilitation at the

Paris 12 Val de Marne University Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with a thesis, entitled "L'esprit des cartes. Approches historiques, sémiologiques et sociologiques en cartographie" (The spirit of maps. Historical approaches, semiology and sociology in cartography). Palsky was assistant-professor at the Paris 12 Val de Marne University from 1991 to 2006, and Professor at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University from 2007 to 2014. He was member of the Management Board the Faculty of Humanities and Science at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University, and director of specific research "Territories, Representation, Actors" in the urbanism master program from 2005 to 2007. From 2009 to 2014, he chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee of the 23rd section at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University. Since 2010, he heads the special research "Geoprism" in master programme of geography. Palsky is a founding member of the OUCARPO (OUvroir de CArtographie POtentielle), an initiative around mapping potential. It was created May 3, 2013, at the initiative of the philosopher Guillaume Monsaingeon. In 1996 Palsky was awarded the George Erhard award by the French geographical society

Société de géographie The Société de Géographie (; ), is the world's oldest geographical society. It was founded in 1821 as the first Geographic Society. Since 1878, its headquarters have been at 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. The entrance is marked by two gig ...

Work

Palsky's research focuses on

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

geovisualization Geovisualization or geovisualisation (short for geographic visualization), also known as cartographic visualization, refers to a set of tools and techniques supporting the analysis of geospatial data through the use of interactive visualization. ...

urbanism Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a direct component of disciplines such as urban planning, a profession focusing on the design and management of urban ...

epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...

and the

history of geography The History of geography includes many histories of geography which have differed over time and between different cultural and political groups. In more recent developments, geography has become a distinct academic discipline. 'Geography' derive ...

. He specialized in the history of statistical mapping in the 19th century, and in the foundations of the graphic semiology. He traced back the history of quantitative mapping methods, and looked into the reasons for their late adoption in geography. His current research focuses on the role of images in the construction of geographical knowledge, on the various forms of participatory mapping, and on mapping theory.

Selected publications

* Palsky, Gilles (with Jean-Marc Besse, Philippe Grand, and

Jean-Christophe Bailly Jean-Christophe Bailly (; 3 May 1949) is a French writer, poet and playwright. Biography Bailly was born in Paris. Very early on, he decided to devote himself to writing. His book ''Tuiles detachées'' explains this decision, as well as severa ...

). (2019)
''An Atlas of Geographical Wonders. From Mountaintops to Riverbeds.''
New York,

Princeton Architectural Press Princeton Architectural Press (now PA Press) is a division of Chronicle Books. Founded by Kevin Lippert in 1981 in Princeton, NJ, PA Press has been a leading publisher of books on architecture, design, and visual culture for over forty years, ...

, 2019, . * Palsky, Gilles (with Jean-Marc Besse and

. Le monde sur une feuille : Les tableaux comparatifs de montagnes et de fleuves dans les atlas du XIXe siècle, Lyon, Fage éditions, 2014. * Palsky, Gilles. ''La Cartographie thématique en France: recherche sur ses origines et son évolution jusqu'à la fin du XIXe siècle;'' PhD Thesis Université Paris 1, 1990. * Palsky, Gilles. ''Des chiffres et des cartes: naissance et développement de la cartographie quantitative française au XIXe siecle.'' Vol. 19. Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques-CTHS, 1996. Articles, a selection: * * Palsky, Gilles.
La cartographie statistique de la population au XIXe siecle
" ''Espace, populations, sociétés'' 9.3 (1991): 451-458. * Palsky, Gilles.
The debate on the standardization of statistical maps and diagrams (1857-1901). elements for the history of graphical language
" ''Cybergeo: European Journal of Geography'' (1999). * Palsky, Gilles. "Emmanuel de Martonne and the ethnographical cartography of central Europe (1917–1920)." ''Imago Mundi'' 54.1 (2002): 111-119. *

Michael Friendly Michael Louis Friendly (born 1945) is an American-Canadian psychologist, Professor of Psychology at York University in Ontario, Canada, and director of its Statistical Consulting Service, especially known for his contributions to graphical metho ...

and Gilles Palsky.
Visualizing nature and society
. In: James R. Akerman and Robert W. Karrow, eds., ''Maps: Finding Our Place in the World'', pp. 205–251. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 2007. * Palsky, Gilles.
Connections and Exchanges in European Thematic Cartography. The case of XIXth century choropleth maps
" ''Formatting Europe. Mapping a continent.'' 2007.

References

External links

Gilles Palsky
at Pantheon-Sorbonne University {{DEFAULTSORT:Palsky, Gilles 1958 births Living people French geographers Data and information visualization experts University of Paris alumni Academic staff of the University of Paris