Using GIS and Open Web Resources to Recon struct Great Tang Records of the Western Regions

Authors

Zhaohui Fu, Florida International UniversityFollow
Sheyla Aquilar de Santana, Florida International University

Date of this Version

6-2019

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Abstract

This paper applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methods and Open Web resources to reconstruct Tang Dynasty Buddhist Pilgrim XuanZang‘s travel routes and 180+ city states, stupas and monasteries he had recorded in the Great Tang Records on Western Regions (大唐西域記). Prior mapping efforts of XuanZang travel routes were selected for digitization, using reference points of the 80+ known locations XuanZang had mentioned in his biography, A Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci’en Monastery of the Great Tang Dynasty(大唐大慈恩寺三藏法師傳). The authors then applied a cost-distance analysis method to validate the digitized routes by calculating high to low cost grids using four layers of rasters, including land cover, slope, distance to cities, and distance to water bodies (primarily rivers). This spatial method allows us to map the XuanZang travel routes more precisely. In addition to retracing XuanZang travel routes, the authors compiled coordinates of the 180+ locations recorded in the Travelogue. We retrieved locations in Wikipedia place entries with reference of XuanZang, and through the use of open sources, such as “Mapping Buddhist Monasteries” project to consolidate places recorded by XuanZang or referenced to XuanZang. The historical place names in Central and West Asia, mentioned in XuanZang’s recordings, have multiple Wikipedia entries in many languages. Extractions and compilation of these names can help to expand efforts of geographic thesauri of historical place names.

Recommended Citation

Fu, Zhaohui and Aquilar de Santana, Sheyla, "Using GIS and Open Web Resources to Recon struct Great Tang Records of the Western Regions" (2019). GIS Center. 96.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/gis/96