Southampton Geospatial at the University of Southampton uses digital maps and geographic data to explore places, patterns and stories around the world.

In this hands-on activity, you will become a digital Earth detective. Using Google Earth, you will explore famous monuments, measure their size and distance from one another and look for surprising spatial patterns. How large is the Great Pyramid? How far apart are Stonehenge and the Oracle of Delphi? Are unusual patterns meaningful, or could they simply be coincidence?

You will then turn your attention to the seas around the UK and investigate shipwrecks using real geographic data. Discover where ships sank, when they were lost and what they were carrying, then search for patterns that might reveal stories about trade, travel and maritime history.

Along the way, you will see how geographers use maps, measurement and data to ask questions, test ideas and better understand the world. No previous mapping experience is needed, just curiosity!