historical GIS

GIS Data

Where to Find GIS Data for Historical Country Boundaries

April 17, 2018By Caitlin DempseyGIS Data

Finding historical GIS data can be hard to find. Listed here are available sites that offer historical country data in GIS file formats for download.

Land cover of the area under study in the 1st Military Survey map in the lowland area of Nové Dvory and Zehusice, Czech Republic. Source: Skaloš et al., 2011.

GIS and Modern Research from Historical Maps

August 28, 2016By Mark AltaweelMaps and Cartography

While GIS offers a way to digitize detailed historical records and maps, it can also provide a new way to understand history and trends over time.

Where to Look for Historical Maps

January 28, 2012By Harold HuntMaps and Cartography

The use of extracting data from old paper maps is growing in popularity as a method to understanding historical geography. David Ramsey popularized the method of georectifying historical maps and draping those maps over a DEM to create a 3D view. Pastmapper is a project that digitizes historical maps in […]

Historical Geography and GIS

December 21, 2011By Caitlin DempseyGIS Learning

Historical GIS is the use of GIS data to document the given geography of an area in history. GIS can be used in historical geography research to map out ancient areas and the changes in cities and places over time. NHGIS (National Historical Geographic Information System) stores historical GIS data […]

16th and 17th Century Cartography Versus 2011 Imagery

April 30, 2011By Caitlin DempseyMaps and Cartography

How did the major cities in the 16th and 17th centuries compare with their modern counterparts? The Atlantic has a slideshow comparing the look of mostly European cities with satellite images pulled from Google Maps. Scans of the 16th century maps are housed on the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s and the […]

Tracking Post-Storm Water Movement Using GPS

NASA researchers recently published a study which uses GPS technology to track water volume and movement post-Harvey

Forecasting Cholera Using Remote Sensing

The NASA cholera forecasting tool effectively takes satellite observations on environmental conditions and combines the data with information on infrastructure and conditions in a country.

Elements of a Map

Maps are the primary tools by which spatial relationships are visualized. Maps therefore become important documents. There are several key elements that should be included each time a map is created in order to aid the viewer in understanding the communications of that map and to document the source of […]

Learn GIS for Free

There are a few online options to learn GIS for free. Take advantage of resources that provide you access to free courses from some of the world’s best universities and institutions.