Analysis of historical cartography and data presentation for an educational purpose: The case of the historical centre of Vimercate

Founded by Romans, Vimercate had an important geographical position in Lombardy. Layers of history are visible throughout the town, yet there is the inconsistency of historical data and neglect of the historical centre in the past decades. Only recently researchers and professors from Politecnico di Milano pointed out the importance of studying layers of history in the built environment. In the past years, Vimercate was used as an example for students from masters and bachelor courses in preservation studios. This is where the idea for the master’s thesis was developed which focuses on the collection, digitalisation and investigation of primary historical cartography and then other historical documents. Historical cartography can offer extensive knowledge about the past of this town and it is one of the main sources of information. For the creation of the project was selected free and open-source software QGIS where the selected historical maps were vectorised, compared and investigated. A new understanding of the development of the city was studied and some discoveries appeared. Effective application of the thesis project started in the courses of Architectural preservation studio at Politecnico di Milano. This was followed by the interest of citizens in the project who were actively participated in the creation of the same. Other stakeholders showed interest in involving in future developments. The thesis found its application in didactic activities of students and pupils.

“Little Is Known of the Interior”: Applied Historical Cartography and Métis Aboriginal Rights in the Île-à-la-Crosse Region, Saskatchewan

Dans sa décision de principe sur les droits de chasse des Métis rendue à la suite de l’affaire R. c. Powley, la Cour suprême du Canada recourt au concept de mainmise effective pour marquer les limites de la période à considérer afin de déterminer si des pratiques particulières (p. ex., la chasse) font partie intégrante du mode de vie des Métis. Si ces pratiques n’ont pas été explicitement abolies par l’État avant 1982, alors elles font partie aujourd’hui des droits ancestraux des Métis et à ce titre, elles sont protégées par la Constitution. Déterminer la date de la mainmise effective de l’État est un problème empirique qui exige des recherches historiques approfondies. Devant les revendications de la Couronne quant à sa souveraineté et à l’extinction de droits autochtones, diverses activités peuvent servir de critères quant à l’établissement de la mainmise effective sur les régions pionnières (p. ex., les recensements). Des documents historiques montrent que des activités de topométrie et de cartographie ont matérialisé les efforts du gouvernement fédéral pour acquérir des connaissances géographiques. En ce qui concerne la nécessité constante de clarifier les droits ancestraux des Métis, la valeur des sources cartographiques historiques comme moyen de reconstruire la lente évolution des connaissances géographiques de l’État est illustrée par l’exemple de la région d’Ile-à-la-Crosse. La cartographie historique, par conséquent, peut contribuer à clarifier les droits des Métis.

THE METHODOLOGY TO SYSTEMATISE, PRESENT AND USE HISTORICAL CARTOGRAPHY: POTENTIALS AND LIMITS TO ANALYSE AND ENHANCE WIDESPREAD HISTORICAL CENTRES IN NORTHERN ITALY

Researchers from diverse fields of study are developing methodologies for understanding historical cartography. Nonetheless, there is a lack of literature that explains the connection between the survey and the interactive use of historical cartography in preservation projects and urban planning. This study demonstrates the methods for the investigation of historical cartography to produce knowledge about the heritage of small widespread historical centres in northern Italy, which had a rich history, and for which many thematic maps were produced through time. The complexity of the area gives a fertile ground to collect, systematise and investigate historical sources. The methodology is developed to be flexible and adaptable to various widespread historical centres in the territory and it is divided into two parts: deconstructive and constructive approach. Whereas the former deals with the analysis of urban aspects on historical maps, the latter searches for the historical elements present nowadays. Combining those two methods in the Geographic Information Systems will produce a timeline and historical stratification of the transformation of cities. Once georeferenced and vectorised, historical maps are enriched with the information from written registers and other historical documents, as well as contemporary ones. The study aims to scrutinize and produce various categories of maps, to draw conclusions about the limits of the use of historical cartography and software used, and finally, to suggest how and where the future work could lead to the overall enhancement of heritage.

Chinese Historical Cartographies

This chapter focuses on the genre of historical cartography, examining works in a broad range of formats, including maps compiled for administration, for education, and for religious purposes. Tracing developments to the end of the Ming dynasty, it shows how the conditions of the publishing boom fostered the recombination and adaptation of historical maps to new contexts. Because of its utility in contextualizing classical works, this genre was intimately intertwined with the publishing industry that emerged around the national examination system, but historical maps could also buttress, or undermine, administrative and Sinocentric perspectives.

The Georeferencing of Old Cartography in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Review, Analysis and Comparative Study of Georeferencing Software

Contemporary organizations have faced the growing management of cartographic documentation, some of them of heritage interest. There are numerous institutions that are digitizing, georeferencing and publishing their historical cartography. The motivation of this research is to facilitate the choice of the most appropriate software to perform these tasks. This article carries out the critical review and analysis of four Geographic Information Systems (GIS) of full significance today. After systematizing the general characteristics and modules that must satisfy this type of application, we proceed to the detailed evaluation of the selected Geographic Information Systems, reaching as a result the discussion of the advantages that each one of them provides, of their distinctive characteristics, as well as their professional adequacy.

Geographical image of the world in the London Psalter Maps from the 13th century

The subjects of this paper are two maps from the 13th century Psalter, found in London. These are the Psalter World Map and the Psalter List Map. Both maps are designed in the shape of a circular disk, modeled on medieval mappae mundi T-O type. The first is a pictorial map, the second is descriptive. The primary goal of these maps was not to objectively present geographical reality, but to express biblical symbolism and medieval Christian cosmology and thus serve as a reminder in devotional practice. By their deconstruction, we discover not only the religious Christian view of the world, but also the historical and cultural representations of medieval people projected on a geographical basis. Maps from the London Psalter have so far been viewed more as a "religious document" than as an objective "geographical image" and a "historical document". Therefore, they were rarely used as a historicalgeographical source. The aim of this paper is to deconstruct the text and context of the mentioned two maps and thus interpret their imaginative geography and geographical representations, the meaning of symbols and toponyms, which may be of interest to researchers dealing not only with historical cartography but also with historical and human geography.

Viajar por la Mar del Sur… De toponimia y cartografía histórica

The purpose of this text is to approach an especially attractive territory, that of the Californias, which since its origins has been the setting for fascinating stories. These accounts have for the most part remained in the collective memory of the inhabitants of the region, constituting for them a source of pride and contributing to the imaginary inherent to the region’s name itself. The lore figures into the area’s changing cartographic expressions over the centuries, belying the fixed, static image suggested by the crystallized iconographic representations of successive maps as well as the changing names of the region,and their obliviousness to the stories contained in them. Thus, this text delves into the dimensions of historical cartography and toponymy to examinethe case of the Californias, an instance that we suggest be integrated into the learning of geographical knowledge.

Flood dynamics: A geoecological approach using historical cartography and giscience in the city of petrópolis (Βrazil)

Dynamics, structure and function are geoecological characteristics that define landscapes. These characteristics help explain landscape processes, such as floods. This article analyses geoecological variables to understand flood dynamics in the original historical district of Petrópolis City (Brazil). Concepts and techniques of historical cartography and GIScience were used to analyse geoecological variables in three river basins (Quitandinha, Palatino and Piabanha) within the study area. Each basin had a river island which was excavated and removed. The Quitandinha River Basin had the largest river island (965 m2), the highest Edification Index (44.12%) and the most favourable geomorphological indices for the occurrence of floods. Hence, the basin recorded 93% of flood events within the three basins. Multiple geoecological variables influence flood dynamics. In this urban landscape, changes in the drainage network, intensified by disorderly urbanization and geomorphological processes, are extremely important in understanding flooding processes.