My map is linked here.
Georectifying was a really tough process because you see how much an area has changed over time, and aligning features between different maps is not always straightforward. A lot of the landmarks that I know are not even on the old map so it made it really difficult to find common reference points. I chose a map from 1905, and trying to figure out the spots that correspond to the modern/old map was really tough, especially since some geographic features had shifted. I have a newfound understanding of how challenging DH projects with maps are, especially ones that include data, which would be one more variable that you have to control on top of the maps. I f can open my map in GIS, GEOTiff, and IIIF. After seeing the georectified map, I noticed how much more developed Northfield became in the 100 years, with a lot of new buildings, roads, and public spaces making the town a lot larger. I would like to see the extent of the urban sprawl of Northfield and if other settlements outside of Northfield were incorporated into Northfield proper. Studying these changes could reveal patterns of growth and development that affected local communities. I think some problems with georectifying involve the accuracy of it. I know that my map is not accurate at all because the highway starts where the river is, and the blocks of the old map seem larger than blocks on the map of present day Northfield, so it is difficult to accurately place that map on top of the google map. I don’t think this would be appropriate in areas where we want to look at the experiences of actual people since we can only see their movement, but using both this and some sort of storytelling would be a powerful experience. If combined with personal narratives or historical documents, georectified maps could help bring the past to life in a visually interesting way.
