Here is a link to my map of Italy in 1860!
Did this process change your understanding of the spatial DH projects you explored earlier?
The spatial DH projects that we explored earlier in class mostly related to using graphics to modify a basemap in some way instead of georeferencing old maps using our current version of the world map. This made me realize that spatial DH projects can encompass various techniques, and the act of comparing old maps with new ones can also provide new and insightful information.
Examine the This Map page: what formats can you access the map you rectified in?
You can download this map as a GeoTIFF file, export it as an IIIF image, or you can acquire WMTS endpoints to use the map in GIS apps.
What possibilities do you see once you have a georectified map? What would be the next steps?
After you have georectified an old map, you can compare it to the way the location looks on a current map. You may want to compare the two to consider how the environment has been modified as a result of natural disasters, natural processes like erosion, and/or climate change. This may lead people to draw conclusions about global warming and its effects.
Are there problems with georeferencing that you should consider?
As stated in class, maps are not neutral. The person georeferencing the old map could inaccurately or incorrectly place the points down, or they may not place enough points down to get an accurately georeferenced map. Additionally, there can be a language barrier, where the person trying to reference a map may not speak the language that the map is in. It would be much easier if there was a way to add “language” to the metadata of the maps and filter the maps so that the user could only georeference maps in their language.
What research questions or areas would this method NOT be appropriate for?
Georeferencing would not be appropriate for research that is based heavily on textual analysis that does not consider location or the environment as a significant factor. For example, the Francis Bacon network that I looked at for our blog in week 4 focused on the personal relationships between Francis Bacon and those he interacted with, but it did not consider their spatial relationships, since that was not the point of the project.
