To me, old maps from the past reveal some of the most interesting features that I have never would have noticed in my city or anywhere in my home country.
Historical Maps on Interactive Map
I began by downloading scanned images of historical maps from The Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map Collection website. Once I had the images, I used QGIS to apply georeferencing tools, which allowed me to align these scanned maps with their correct geographic coordinates. After completing the georeferencing process, I moved on to creating an interactive map using Leaflet JS. Importantly, I ensured that this map had the capability to display GeoTIFF files, which was crucial for showcasing the historical maps. To enhance the user experience, I then added several navigation tools. These included an opacity slider that allows users to adjust the transparency of the maps, as well as a zoom function that activates when a user clicks on any name of the map. Through this comprehensive process, I was able to transform static historical maps into an engaging, web-based format that facilitates easy comparison with modern geographic data.
References:
United States. Army Topographic Command. (1972). Cambodia city maps 1: 12,500 (Ed. 1-TPC.). U.S. Army Topographic Command.
United States. Defense Mapping Agency. Topographic Center. (1990). Cambodia city pictomap 1: 12,500 (Ed. 1-DMATC.). Defense Mapping Agency.
United States. Defense Mapping Agency. Topographic Center. (1990). Cambodia city pictomap 1: 12,500 (Ed. 1-DMATC.). Defense Mapping Agency.
United States. Army Map Service. Far East. (2000). Cambodia city maps 1: 12,500 (Ed. 2-AMS (FE).). Reprinted by NIMA.