Historic Map Data
Historic Map Analysis and Digitizing
Historic maps can provide a variety of useful information for research projects such as this. Archives, map dealers, and other sources were searched to locate as many different maps from different periods as possible, with an emphasis on older maps. While these maps are useful (and beautiful) by themselves, we have been interested in developing techniques to integrate the data contained in these archival sources directly into our GIS for analysis.
An original 1659 map of the region and two modern reproductions of 1759 maps of the research area have been located, along with several more recent 19th century maps. The 1659 and 1759 maps were digitized for use in the project GIS using an Eikonix digital scanning system, located at the Center for Remote Sensing of Rutgers University. This system has a large format 4,000 by 4,000 digital CCD array device that converts maps or photographs into high quality digital format. This system is useful for raster scanning maps, aerial photographs, or other analog data into a format readable by image processing and GIS systems. Thematic data were also transferred onto mylar overlays for manual vector digitizing.
1695 map by
The 1659 map is an original, which was purchased in Paris in 1983 by the author. It was produced by Nicolas Sanson d'Abeville (1600-1667), Geographer of the King of France (geographe ordinaire du roi), who produced a large number of famous and beautiful maps of Europe, Canada, North and South America. Many of these maps are in museums and private collections around the world. Sanson was the founder of the French school of cartography, and was tutor to Louis XIII. He published over 300 maps, including a 1:1 million scale map of France and he also produced atlases of the four known continents. All three sons of Nicolas Sanson, Nicolas Sanson junior, Guillaume and Adrian, continued their father's work and his company lasted for over 100 years.The accuracy and high quality of engraving of his maps were copied throughout Europe for decades.
The Map title (shown at the top of this page) reads:
The map was scanned, entered into GRASS, georeferenced, and entered into the GIS system as a data layer like any other. This map is quite general in its spatial accuracy, but it is the oldest map yet located that covers the research area.
Close-up views of the 1659 map
Several enlargements of the 1695 map, showing the Arroux river, towns, forests, roads, and structures. The walled town of Issey L'Eveque at left still remains intact, and Mt. Dardon is just above it and to the right. Each structure icon has a specific meaning, as show in the Cassini map below.
1759 Cassini Maps
Statue of Cassini 1 at the Louvre Courtyard in Paris
We are very fortunate to have available to us two superbly accurate reproductions of maps of the region that were produced in 1759. The famous Cassini triangulation surveys of France were conducted by four generations of the Cassini family in the late 1600's to mid 1700's. In 1672 Jean Dominique Cassini, (Cassini I) Royal Astronomer of the Paris Observatory, began to consider new ways to produce more accurate maps through triangulation, similar to the techniques used by astronomers to measure the size of the planets and the Sun. Better maps were needed to determine the accurate distance between observatories on the Earth more precisely, in order to conduct simultanious measurements of the planets from different observatories. He and his son, Jacques Cassini (Cassini II) produced the map at right, the first accurate survey of an entire nation, in 1744. They also mapped an accurate baseline between the Paris Observatory and Greenwich, England to support concurrent celestial observations and measurements.
In 1747 Louis XV asked Ceasar-Francois Cassini (Cassini III) to create an even more precise national map of France. This was completed by his son Jacques Dominique Cassini (Cassini IV), with 180 maps covering all of France at a scale of 1:86,400. These 180 'cartes de l'Academie' maps of France were a superb p