The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook’s “Digital History” chapter and David J. Bodenhamer’s work tracing the use of mapping platforms in public history both emphasize that developments in digital public history are primarily driven by the introduction and implementation of new technological solutions like Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Chronicling the development of the subfield, The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook observes that economic and social historians began to experiment with statistical approaches to research using computers in the 1960s. The spread of personal computers during the later decades of the twentieth century enabled historians to create databases, transcriptions, and datasets. As the internet became more accessible in the 1990s, historians were better able to share digital materials. Around the same time, institutions began to digitize and share parts of their collections. The Library of Congress, for example, introduced its American Memory digital collection in this period. Some early digital history projects were produced in CD format and included digitized primary sources to help educate students on research methods for history. As it became easier to store and display large volumes of material on the internet, many educational resources moved to a web format. 

Websites became more sophisticated in the late 1990s, allowing for the creation of immersive experiences. Online video gaming also grew in scale and technical sophistication in this period, providing a new conduit to engage students in history education. Advances in website design also enabled historians to produce and share digital exhibits, as well as digital publications. New data analysis and visualization tools have provided new ways for historians to investigate datasets and create visual renderings that help link those information points to people, locations and concepts. The growth of the internet also enabled historians to engage in projects with participants from outside of academia. Outhistory.org is a collaborative digital history project that uses a Wiki-style platform to create narratives about LGBTQ+ history in partnership with members of that community. 

Bodenhamer’s text centers on developments in digital mapping technology and the ways that historians and other humanities scholars have attempted to utilize it. The introduction of GIS, he asserts, “promises to reinvigorate our description of the world through its manipulation and visualization of vast quantities of data by means previously beyond the reach of most scholars.” The arrival of this technology drove scholars to think of new ways of handling large sets of data. Because this technology was not purpose-built for humanities scholars, however, there was debate on whether GIS was appropriate for use in scholarly work. Scholars experimented with GIS in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the technology was gradually accepted within the academy as historians produced an array of projects that demonstrated its value. The introduction of third-party technological tools drives the development of digital public history. The challenge for historians lies in developing methods of employing these tools that account for their limitations in historical research. This is a situation that is largely unavoidable, as securing funding for the development of history-specific digital tools is challenging.