This week, we created a map in which we overlayed a current map of Northfield, with another map of the city from over 100 years ago. In order to do this, we used the website All Maps, which is a free map editor website that is used to georeference older maps from across the world. Before making our own map, we looked at a number of previously made spatial maps and projects. Some examples can be accessed here, here and here. These maps gave us insight into different types of georeferenced maps and how maps can be a critical aspect of the digital humanities.
In order to overlay the two original map of Northfield and a current map, we highlighted key locations that were located on both the old and new map. We selected mirrored locations on both maps and All Map’s website then aligned the points to create an overlap of both maps. Many of these locations were buildings relevant to students such as certain dormitories and class buildings.
All Maps then allowed us to create an overlaid map, which is linked here, and you can a screenshot of the map we made here:
The overall process was pretty straightforward, and working along the class was a fun, collaborative process. Georectified/referenced maps have the potential to be used for a number of purposes such as urban planning or analyzing history. The map we created can be compared to other georeferenced maps, which can be useful tools to observing the change of a town’s look and layout over time.
Georeferencing however, is not an entirely flawless process, as it relies on previously made maps. These older maps may have inaccuracies or faults which will continue to exist on the georeferenced maps. Similarly, georeferencing may not be fully accurate if original maps appear differently or were created using different artistic processes. If we were interested in a truly accurate analysis of the past layout of an area, or a 1:1 comparison of how an area changed over time, georectifiying/georeferencing may not be the best method to achieve this. However, it is still a straightforward and helpful method to understand the visual change of a given area.
