Geographic Information Systems
Resources
Maps and Data
University of Guelph Data Collection:
The University of Guelph Library website offers a large collection of geo-spatial files and statistical data to users, some of it historical. A good place to find historical statistics is in the Government Publications section, and the Rural History’s Selected Resources page [hyperlink] lists a variety of other repositories. The library’s digital Geographic data are available to users in the Geospatial Data section. The data included there fall under the following categories:
Census / demographic geographic data
Climate / Environment
Digital Elevation Models
Geology and Soil
Imagery (aerial photography, orthoimagery, satellite imagery, etc.)
Topographic
Publicly Accessible Data:
Censuses and Business Directories
These are some of the routinely generated sources that are spatially ordered and that may be of use to researchers using GIS. The following sites feature only a few groups that study or provide access to these historical records:
1891 Census of Canada Sample
Montréal l’avenir du passé
Trent Valley Archives
The North Atlantic Population Project
Historical GIS Data
Canada:
GEORIA (Georeferenced Databases for Accessing Historical Data)
A combination of databases created by the two partners involved: Laboratoire de géographie historique/CIEQ de l'Université Laval, and the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto, GEORIA develops georeferenced databases of environmental, social and health-related data in Canada to enable researchers to explore these problems in an historical context.The starting point for the project were the databases developed for mapping purposes by the Historical Atlas of Canada project, and by the Atlas historique du Quebec. The long-term goal of the project is to coordinate this data into on-line geographical information systems (GIS) that can be used by researchers and educators alike. Researchers must complete a request for data form and agree to terms and conditions before using the free GEORIA files.
GeoGratis
GeoGratis is a web and file transfer protocol (ftp) site that distributes geospatial data of Canada. Data is available for download, without charge. Vector mapping data is available in scales ranging from 1:50 000 to 1:30 000 000 in a variety of file formats. Although the historical boundary files begin as late as the 1960s, some researchers will be able to use modern boundary files for their historical data (see our Case Study [hyperlink] for one example). Rural historians may be interested in the downloadable vectors available for the Agricultural Census of 2001.
Other areas:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
This collection has over 13,600 historical maps online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South America maps and other cartographic materials. It provides an online GIS browser (requires Java) that demonstrates the software’s capabilities with historical maps and research.
Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative: ECAI Metadata Clearinghouse
Developed by the University of Sydney, ECAI is an international project to develop and distribute digital data on historical and archaeological resources. The visual search engine allows you to specify the region, period, and type of the map you need, and provides a space for keywords in order to narrow the search.
Historical Maps and Interactive Atlases
Canada:
Historical Atlas of Canada Online Learning Project
The Historical Atlas of Canada was a three-volume collaborative publishing project, finished in 1993, which used maps, text, and other graphics to explore themes in the history of Canada. The Online Learning Project proposes to make many of the maps and research data created for the Atlas available over the Internet. At present the Online Learning Project is under development and seeking funding; only 15% of the proposed Table of Contents is actively online.
Atlas of Canada
The Atlas of Canada provides access to interactive maps and free downloads of a collection of maps of Canada. The site offers interactive maps of historical phenomenon, including Indian Treaties, Aboriginal Peoples, Pre-Confederation Canada, Territorial Evolution, and Exploration to 1760. The maps are printable and can be queried for more information on each region.
The Map Archives contains 943 maps from seven previously printed collections: 1906, 1915, 1957, 1974, 1978-1995, 1956-1987 (international), and 1969-1972 (glacier atlas).
Library and Archives Canada
“ArchiviaNet” contains a large collection of Maps, Plans, and Charts, including the 1895 Electoral Maps of Canada, the Indian Reserves of Western Canada. The map search engine consults approximately 40,000 item-level descriptions from the "old map card catalogue." About 4,000 items from the catalogue, now in the public domain, have been digitized and may be consulted online. This website is currently being phased-out and the material will eventually be available through the Library and Archives main search engine. However, not all the material has been transferred and therefore, it is still an important resource.
The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project
Begun in July 1998, the County Atlas pilot project initially encompassed ten atlases. Two subsequent phases allowed the completion of the Ontario map, ultimately totalling forty-three atlases. The County Atlas Digital Project is a searchable database of the property owners' names which appear on the township maps in the county atlases. Township maps, portraits and properties have been scanned, with links from the property owners' names in the database.
W.H. Pugsley Collection of Early Canadian Maps
Dr. William Howard Pugsley donated a collection of 50 early Canadian maps to the McGill University Libraries, which have been digitized for this web site. Dating from 1556 to 1857, the maps tell the story of the discovery and exploration of North America.
Geoscience Data Repository for Geophysical Data
Online Historical Map Digitization Project
Online Historical Map Digitization Project is a website hosted by "Rootsweb" that offers publically accessible historical maps, especially of western Canada.
Map History/History of Cartography
The Map History / History of Cartography website offers an extensive list of links to historical maps, including many Canadian maps.
Other Locations:
Library of Congress Map Collections
The focus of Map Collections is Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress. These images were created from maps and atlases, and are searchable online.
The National Map
The National Map contains a historical topographic map collection.
Cultural Resources Mapping & GIS
With a helpful section describing GIS and some cultural resource projects using GIS, this site focuses on using the technology for heritage preservation, specifically assessing the integrity of, and threats to, surveyed battlefields.
China Historical Geographic Information System
The China Historical Geographic Information System, CHGIS, project is a database of populated places and historical administrative units for the period of Chinese history between 222 BCE and 1911 CE. CHGIS provides a base GIS platform for researchers to use in spatial analysis, temporal statistical modeling, and representation of selected historical units as digital maps.
Syracuse University Library
It offers a short list of links to online historical maps.
Literature
There is much descriptive literature for using GIS, but here we list some of the texts on using GIS for history, and in some cases, rural history:
Beazley, Susan L., and Kenneth B. Beesley. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Agriculture: A Bibliography. Research Paper No. 18, Rural Research Centre, Nova Scotia Agricultural College.
Burrough, P.A., and R. McDonell. Principles of Geographical Information Systems for Land Resources Assessment, 2nd ed. Oxford: Claredon Press, 1998.
Gregory, I.N. A Place in History: A Guide to Using GIS in Historical Research. Oxford: Oxbow Books for the Arts and Humanities Data Service, 2003.
Inwood, K.E., and Jim Irwin “Canadian Regional Commodity Income Differentials at Confederation” pp. 93-120 in Kris Inwood, ed. Farm Factory and Fortune: New Studies in the Economic History of the Maritime Provinces. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 1993.
Knowles, Anne Kelly, ed. Social Science History 24:3 (2000).
This is a special issue titled: Historical GIS: The Spatial Turn in Social Science History. A few of the more useful articles to rural historians include:
Knowles, Anne Kelly. “Introduction.”
Gregory, Ian. “Longitudinal Analysis of Age- and Gender-Specific Migration Patterns in England and Wales: A GIS-Based Approach.”
Healey, Richard G., and Trem R. Stamp. “Historical GIS as a Foundation for the Analysis of Regional Economic Growth: Theoretical, Methodological, and Practical Issues.”
Skinner, G. William, Mark Henderson, and Jianhua Yuan. “China’s Fertility Transition through Regional Space: Using GIS and Census Data for a Spatial Analysis of Historical Demography.”
Knowles, Anne Kelly, ed. Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press, 2002; see especially the essays by Geoff Cunfer, and Alastair W. Pearson and Peter Collier, chapters 7 and 8 respectively, which deal specifically with rural themes.
Pearson, A.W., and P. Collier. “The Integration and Analysis of Historical and Environmental Data Using a Geographical Information System: Landownership and Agricultural Productivity in Pembrokeshire c. 1850.” Agricultural History Review 46 (1998): 162-76.