historical maps Archives

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

April 13, 2020August 28, 2016 by Mark Altaweel

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.

British Library Crowdsources 2,700 Maps for Georeferencing

January 11, 2014 by Caitlin Dempsey

Launched back in February of 2012, the British Library started a pilot project to engage the public in help the library to georerefence a portion … Read more

Georeferencing Map Project at the British Library

British Library Launches Crowdsourcing Map Georeferencing Program

January 11, 2014January 28, 2012 by Caitlin Dempsey

The British Library has launched a pilot project to engage the public’s help in geoferencing historical maps. A sample of 725 maps of England and Wales … Read more

Where to Look for Historical Maps

February 22, 2021January 28, 2012 by GIS Contributor

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 … Read more

Best of GIS: Notable 2011 Geospatial Happenings

July 15, 2014December 10, 2011 by Caitlin Dempsey

It’s been a very long time since I’ve done a “best of GIS” year end review. Listed below are some of what I have … Read more

Topo Map of Escalante Quadrant, Utah from 1886.

Over 120 Years of Mapping History Online

April 5, 2016September 12, 2011 by Caitlin Dempsey

The USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection currently makes over 98,000 maps dating as far back as 1884 available to the public.