Community leveraging of archive map data: cooperative opportunities to build on the wealth of digitized historical maps in national and regional archives

Community Leveraging of Archive Map Data
Cooperative Opportunities to Build on the Wealth of
Digitized Historical Maps in National and Regional Archives
- or -
A Next Step in Archival Cooperation on Cadastral Maps?
Jay Osborn, Digital Cartography Coordinator
Gesher Galicia, Inc.
ICARUS 15 - April 2015 - Prague

Outline: 25 slides in ~15 minutes
● progress of the ICARUS Cadastral Maps Network
● some remaining work and issues
● a proposal and some opportunities
● discussion
Defunct settlement of Rudawka, Ukraine; sources:
Archiwum Państwowe w Przemyślu, syg. 56.126.1427M
Archiwum Państwowe w Rzeszowie, syg. 59.1313.2632
ICARUS 15, April 2015: Community Leveraging of Archive Map Data: Jay Osborn, Gesher Galicia Slide 2

Progress of the ICARUS Cadastral Maps Network
(archives working separately and together)
√ establish a network of institutions
√ collect and analyze information about cadastral maps
√ demonstrate best practice in digitization and online availability
√ integrate already existing digital content on European portals
√ design a follow-up project creating a central European platform
of digital cadastral documents - enabling the 'virtual walk'
→ progress varies by country and archive
* but there is more: the archival network progress has also
enabled or advanced research and work by individuals and other,
non-governmental institutions

Example: Poland
Cadastral Map Sheets Online and Available for Purchase
Town of Sokołów Małopolskie, Poland, 1853; source: skany.przemysl.ap.gov.pl, syg. 56.126.1561M

Example: Croatia
Cadastral Maps Georeferenced as Mosaics in Online Tools
Town of Glina, Croatia; source: mapire.eu, Croatian Cadastral Maps, Zagrebačka županija

Example: Czech Republic
Cadastral Map Sheets Online and Available for Purchase
Village of Poldolí I, Bohemia, 1828; source: ČÚZK, http://archivnimapy.cuzk.cz, map c5923-1

Indikationskizzen Assembled Online
Village of Poldolí I, Bohemia, 1828; source: Národní archiv, http://archivnimapy.cuzk.cz, map c5923-1

Cadastral Maps Georeferenced as Layers in Online Tools
Village of Bohuňov, Moravia, 1826; source: Národní archiv, http://archivnimapy.cuzk.cz, map m0136-1

Example: Leveraging the Archives' Work
Cadastral Maps Assembled for Historical/Genealogical Research
Town of Głogów, Poland; sources: skany.przemysl.ap.gov.pl, syg. 56.126.442M; maps.geshergalicia.org,
Cadastral Maps, Głogów 1849

Of course there is still work to be done...
● not all archives holding cadastral maps are digitizing yet
● at archives which are digitizing, not all maps are covered in
digitizing plans yet
● archive resources to support the project are understandably
limited
● network coordination between archives is still developing
● researching digitized maps still requires contacting each
archive separately, using different tools, rules, and formats
● systematic georeferencing is not yet a priority within the
network
...and of course I am NOT complaining!
...and of course these things take time...

Not All Archives Are Participating, Yet
City of L'viv (Lemberg, Lwów), Ukraine; source: maps.geshergalicia.org, Cadastral Maps, Lemberg 1849

Not All Paper Maps Are Digitized, Yet
Village of Kuklík, Moravia; source: Český úřad zeměměřický a katastrální, UÁZK syg. 1418-1, 1835 & 1873

Some Map Sheets Are Lost or Damaged
Town of Przemyśl, Poland; source: maps.geshergalicia.org, Cadastral Maps, Przemyśl 1852

Town of Przemyśl, Poland, 1852; source: Archiwum Państwowe w Rzeszowie, syg. 59.1313.3021
Overall Coordination of Projects Still In Development

Archive Workload vs. Resources: It Takes Time
Progress of georeferenced cadastral maps toward Kuklík, Moravia; source: ČÚZK, http://archivnimapy.cuzk.cz

And It's Not Easy: Georeferencing Difficulties
(errors in survey, mapping, paper decay, scanning, ...)
City of Budapest, Hungary; source: mapire.eu, Hungarian Cadastral Maps, Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun megye

While the Work Continues...
Now is the Time to Think About the Next Challenge:
Making the Maps a Foundation on Which to Build
Town of Rohatyn, Ukraine, cadastral map 1846; sources: TsDIAL, L'viv, Ukraine, syg. 186.1.668; Rohatyn Shtetl Research Group,
House Finder http://www.rsrg.org/rohatyn/map/hnl/hnl.html (work in progress)
GreatSynagogue:
One of fve known synagogues in
Rohatyn, the "Great Synagogue"
was frst built of wood in the ...

A few quotations:
Old paper maps constitute the bedrock of historical GIS.
- from "Teaching with GIS", by Robert Churchill and Amy Hillier, in Placing History, ESRI Press,
Redlands California, 2008.
Tremendous opportunities await historical researchers because relatively few
historical subjects have been examined from a geographical perspective.
Although researchers are now trying to avoid duplicating one another's labor-
intensive efforts in building infrastructure, it remains difficult to choose between
project-specific investments in base layers versus building geospatial datasets for
use by the larger scholarly community.
[D]eveloping geospatial data infrastructure for history requires collaboration
between institutions that hold primary historical source material.
It is impractical to assume that all historians practicing HGIS will have the time or
the resources to collect their own geospatial data and create their own GIS
databases. For this reason, it is essential that shared infrastructure enable large-
scale GIS data collection, the preservation and maintenance of GIS databases, and
access to historical geospatial data via Internet-based resources.
- from "An Agenda for Historical GIS", by Anne Kelly Knowles, Amy Hillier, and Roberta Balstad, in
Placing History, ESRI Press, Redlands California, 2008.

A Modest Proposal...
● that the Internet 'publication' goals of the Cadastral Maps Network
under ICARUS leadership be extended to include archive-led
storage and delivery of these maps as free OGC-standard
WMS/WMTS raster images, for use in GIS development and online
mapping via open and commercial software
● that lessons learned by archives and others from working with the
Habsburg cadastral maps be converted to free public guidelines and
standards for all to use, in georeferencing and in linking metadata
● that mechanisms and capacity be developed for acceptance and
service of additional images and layers from external sources, to
permit collaborative organizations and individuals outside the
archive network to contribute labor and expertise in digitizing,
rectifying, blending, georeferencing, and/or annotating maps
● that the Network propose and manage a scheme and a framework
for publicly indexing the published maps across archives and
countries, to help historians and others find and use the appropriate
images and layers in their work
to continue the 5th Objective of the Cadastral Maps Network

We (All of Us) Want to Do More Than Browse...
City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, religious communities register 1851 on a historical map from 1864; source: hisgis.nl

...but Effectiveness and Efficiency need Leadership
● file structure and service methods for the maps as data
● formatting for broad usage (applications and methods)
● standards and guidelines for preparation of data
➔ scanning
➔ geo-referencing
➔ metadata
➔ layer preparation
➔ tiling
➔ etc.
● seeding the servers with existing layers and more
● searchable indices, including alternate & re-worked maps
● mechanisms for receiving/vetting layers from external sources

Town of Rohatyn, Ukraine; sources: TsDIAL, L'viv, Ukraine, syg. 186.1.668; maps.geshergalicia.org, Cadastral Maps, Rohatyn 1846
Reducing Duplication & Gaps in Labor and Data
Sharing: Collaboration Inside/Outside Archives

Users Helping Users...
...and Broadening the Foundation Created by the Archives
● GIS base layers are built once, from trusted sources...
● ... with an opportunity for ongoing refinement of accessible
map data, with wiki-like accessible layer history
● both GIS- and browser-ready image sets from the same data
● both academic and lay users can contribute, combining data
from many sources, and all can freely use the data
● map data from multiple archives can be combined into single
studies for open publication and use
● a common index to maps, accessible through each of the
archives' websites (regardless of where stored and how
managed)
● common methods and shared expertise in all stages of data
preparation

Costs to Archives
certainly not zero, but not huge - and others will help
● leadership and management
● standards and guidelines development
● georeferencing and map image preparation
● metadata
● ongoing server support (in-house or contracted)
● ongoing administration, review, and inquiry management
● other tangible and intangible costs

Conclusion and Discussion
Thank you!
Jay Osborn, Digital Cartography Coordinator
Gesher Galicia, Inc.
Town of Rohatyn, Ukraine, 2014; photos: Jay Osborn

Community leveraging of archive map data: cooperative opportunities to build on the wealth of digitized historical maps in national and regional archives

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Community leveraging of archive map data: cooperative opportunities to build on the wealth of digitized historical maps in national and regional archives