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Use of Geoinformatics for the Digitization and Visualization of Cartographic Heritage: The Case of an Early 1920s Mytilene Town Map
Abstract and Figures
A map series of 1920s Mytilene town, property of Lesvos Archives, had been inaccessible due to its poor condition. One map
of this series was restored, scanned, digitised and given a geographical reference system. Geographical coordinates were collected,
and geoinformatics technology was used to create a geographically corrected map in GCS- GGRS-1987 Geographical Coordinated
System and Greek Grid as a Projected Coordinated System. Comparison of the map to a 1953 map series revealed that the latter
is a hand-made copy of the first. Therefore GIS tools were used to digitally visualise missing areas of the authentic map.
This project may open new horizons for the Mytilene cartographic heritage through the creation of a digital map library, featuring
the history of the town’s cartography, and the development and use of new interpretation tools allowing online access for
educational and recreational activities.
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... Έκαστος εκ των αρχικών χαρτών είναι κλίμακας 1:500. Η σειρά χαρτών ήταν σε χρήση από το 1953 έως και το 1984, οπότε και οι χάρτες επανασχεδιάστηκαν σε κλίμακα 1:1000 (Kyriazi et al 2010). Ο χάρτης αυτός είναι σε μορφή tiff χωρίς προβολικό σύστημα. ...
... Τα περιγράμματα των κτιρίων και κατασκευών όπως δεξαμενές, μάντρες κτλ, και αρχιτεκτονικά στοιχεία όπως κίονες, κλίμακες και βεράντες είναι σχεδιασμένα με μαύρη σινική μελάνη. Μάντρες και περιφράξεις οικοπέδων είναι σχεδιασμένα με διπλή γραμμή, ενώ οι τοίχοι των κτιρίων είναι σχεδιασμένοι με μονή γραμμή (Kyriazi et al 2010 ) (εικ.2- 3). Για τη διαφοροποίηση μεταξύ δημόσιων και ιδιωτικών κτιρίων, έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί δύο διαβαθμίσεις γκρίζου χρώματος: ανοιχτό γκρι για τα ιδιωτικά και σκούρο γκρι για τα δημόσια (Kyriazi et al 2010) (εικ.2-3). ...
... Μάντρες και περιφράξεις οικοπέδων είναι σχεδιασμένα με διπλή γραμμή, ενώ οι τοίχοι των κτιρίων είναι σχεδιασμένοι με μονή γραμμή (Kyriazi et al 2010 ) (εικ.2- 3). Για τη διαφοροποίηση μεταξύ δημόσιων και ιδιωτικών κτιρίων, έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί δύο διαβαθμίσεις γκρίζου χρώματος: ανοιχτό γκρι για τα ιδιωτικά και σκούρο γκρι για τα δημόσια (Kyriazi et al 2010) (εικ.2-3). Πλην του χρώματος, τα περισσότερα δημόσια κτίρια επισημαίνονται και με λεκτική περιγραφή της λειτουργίας τους (εικ. ...
Due to their poor preservation state, an early 20th c map series, property of Lesvos General State Archives, has, until recently, been constituting of unexploited cartographic material. Deteriorations included material and geographical information losses, foreign matter, bending, photodegradation, and mechanical damage. This paper presents the conservation and digitization methods for one of the maps, measuring 100x98 cm. Upon completion of conservation treatment, the map was scanned and digitized. Based upon coordinate sampling from building corners built earlier than 1920, the map was georefered in the GCSGGRS-1987 Geographical Coordinated System using Greek Grid as a Projected Coordinated System.
Meanwhile, georeferencing was performed on a 1953 Mytilene town map series, which had been constituting the urban structure of the town up to 1985. The superimposition and comparison of two maps revealed that the 1953 maps constitute copies of the older map series, with sole differences the designing in a different orientation and in different paper dimensions. The comparative study of the two maps leads to the conclusion that the map series belonging to the General State Archives had been drawn in a 1:500 scale, and portray the urban structure of Mytilene town in the years between 1920-1922.
Kozani is a medium-small sized city in the NW part of Greece, looking for plans and investments towards a “clever development” based on innovative concepts with cultural reference. Thanks to its population migration to Central and Eastern Europe especially during the 17th and 18th centuries, Kozani was privileged in getting back from its own people in Diaspora treasures of scholarship and knowledge. Thanks to these treasures a historic Municipal Library (ML) was created since the mid 17th century, considered today as one of the most important in the whole country, reflecting mainly the period of the European Enlightenment. The University of Thessaloniki proposed recently to the City of Kozani a two-year project in order to design, organize and implement a cartographic heritage-referenced project exploiting the small but historically important backlog of mainly 18th century maps and atlases kept in the ML. In the paper, the impact of the notion of cartographic heritage is discussed as a modern, fresh and innovative constituent of the overall cultural heritage resetting cartography and maps in its distinct place as an important product of human intellect and skill ever. The philosophy and the foundation of the Kozani project are then analyzed mainly as a scheme for the development of a viable example of good practice in the field of Cartographic Heritage. Relevant plans and actions as well as strategies and options are briefly described in order to show how cartography and maps could contribute in refreshing the profile of ML using the potentiality and strength of cartographic heritage as a peak of communication between the world of cartography and maps with the society.
The departing point of this paper is the idea that cartographic heritage is cultural heritage. Therefore, but for its own demands as well, cartography faces certain needs to realize this idea. The form of cartographic presentation that should help us to illustrate such a realization shall be the globe. Globes can represent not only cartographic heritage, but the digital state of the art as well. The intended illustration will be done in the framework of a project, which was partly dedicated to the digital transformation in facsimile (facsimilation) of the earth globe of Gerard Mercator of 1541. Tracing this project will help to show one way of a cartographic heritage’s administration by digital means. At the end of this way we will see a virtual, three- dimensional facsimile that is interactive accessible and open to the public.
The introduction of modern digital imaging techniques in historical cartography, especially in documenting old map collections, meets the need for extending and complying image processing and relevant photogrammetric tools in the analysis of antique maps in the context that digital photogrammetry intersects the modern theories in digital treating of old maps. In this paper we discuss some aspects in controlling the geometric features of the scanned images of antique maps in terms e.g. of linear, angular and areal deformation. Collateral effects influencing the scanned map image are also talked namely the statistics and the image quality of the output map images with respect to the original map and/or the "reference" digital best scanned image.
Historical maps often suffer significant deformations of their supporting material of any type. These deformations make it difficult to make an accurate reading of maps in its geometric and semantic context. As invaluable materials of cultural heritage, historical maps, in very many cases (rolled parchments, maps in old books and atlases etc.) cannot be put through a scanning process requiring a plane positioning of the map supporting surface, which is usually undulated. Digital photography is then an alternative if certain technical details are fulfilled. In order to capture the undulated map surfaces due to the curvilinear deformation of their supporting material, the research group proposed use of three dimensional (3D) laser scanning. With this new digital technology, capturing such map surfaces gives a cloud of points with an uncertainty of about 0.1 mm, which forms the initial 3D model of the surface. From the point cloud we can pass to deformation analyses using processing based on proper types of finite element models. In some simpler cases it is enough to define a parametric interpolated surface which is easier to manipulate as far as the memorization and the transmission is concerned. One problem in this approach is setting up an external reference system for the 3D scanning and the associated photogrammetric survey of the map surface, giving the necessary imagery to the point cloud. Since it is not possible to attach control points on the map surface, the referencing is assured by non contact control mechanisms. The next step is the digital photogrammetric survey using high-resolution calibrated cameras. The external control is common with the reference system of the laser scanning in a way to preserve the uniformity of both the geometric and the radiometric data. For the latter, special samples of colour standards are taken during the capturing session. The procedure described here gives a metrically accurate model of high precision with the same time high image fidelity. All types of deformation analyses are then possible, applying the strain tensor approach in order to depict, via invariants, the deviations of the map supporting material from well fitted regular surfaces. Given that the map supporting material has physical properties, a stress-strain analysis is then suitable.
Digitization of ancient maps is always a challenge. This article introduces in detail the steps of digitizing the ancient map Yu ji tu using GIS technology and discusses the progress of digitization of ancient maps and its significance. Keywords: digitization, ancient maps, GIS technology Map culture is an indispensable part of Chinese culture. The ancient maps have scientific, cultural and artistic value, so they receive more and more attention. There are many people now who attempt to protect, research and recycle ancient maps through digitization. According to the traditional charting technology, ancient maps of China can be divided into three kinds. The first kind is traditional Chinese maps with visual brushwork. In these maps, the terrain and other features are visually and realistically drawn. Maps were then seldom directly used for production and construction, therefore there was no high request for accuracy. The map content expressed by landscape painting is intuitive, stereoscopic and readable. The second kind is maps with a grid scale. With the "six principles of cartography" by Pei Xiu of Western Jin Dynasty as theory, the orientation of geographical factors is controlled by the gridding. Compared with the traditional Chinese maps with visual brushwork, these maps have an extremely high accuracy. The grid scale is the most scientific cartography method in China, before the map projection method was introduced into China [1] . The third kind is maps with latitude and longitude which was introduced into China at the end of the Ming Dynasty and at the beginning of Qing Dynasty. At present, based on its special cartography, digital protection of ancient maps mainly refers to scanning, photography, text and image databases, etc., but lacks database administration and utilization to its 2 content and spatial information. However, with the development of electronic maps and geographic information systems, ancient map databases based on GIS already have become the inevitable way to continually improve the preservation, research and service of the geographical information found on ancient maps.
The analysis of the historical evolution of the territories and landscapes has been seldom based upon the study of old cartographic documents; they have been always set in a second place after texts and writings. Trying to bridge this gap, we have designed and implemented a relational database of the ancient maps and charts that are already preserved in the main Spanish collections, archives and libraries, that includes the possibility to access to a a high resolution digital image of each one of them. The personalized queries to the database will allow the scholars and searchers to visualise the document together with its main features.
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Comments upon cartography, maps and their Greek “complications”. Geografies
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