Integrating Historical Maps and Photographs into Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Hamra of Beirut Revisited
Translated title
Integrering af Historiske Kort og Fotografier i Geografiske Informations Systemer (GIS): Hamra i Beirut Genopdaget
Authors
Cardoso, Bruno ; Thing, Elise
Term
4. term
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-06-10
Pages
92
Abstract
I 1973 udgav geografen Per Kongstad og sociologen Samir Khalaf bogen Hamra of Beirut - A Case of Rapid Urbanization med kort og analyser fra 1960'ernes Hamra-kvarter i Beirut. Vi fik adgang til de originale kort samt upublicerede fotografier fra perioden og digitaliserede materialet for at integrere det i et GIS (et digitalt kort- og analysesystem). Vi vurderer, hvor velegnede disse historiske kilder er til nutidig byforskning, og forklarer vores arbejdsgang og tekniske valg. Arbejdet omfattede databasestruktur (hvordan data organiseres), scanning, georeferering (at tilpasse gamle kort til virkelige koordinater), vektorisering (at omdanne billedeelementer til redigerbare digitale former), udfyldning af attributter (beskrivende oplysninger) samt deling online. Afslutningsvis drøfter vi resultaterne, deres begrænsninger og peger på muligheder for videre forskning.
In 1973, geographer Per Kongstad and sociologist Samir Khalaf published Hamra of Beirut - A Case of Rapid Urbanization, featuring maps and analyses from the 1960s Hamra district in Beirut. We accessed the original maps and previously unpublished photographs, digitized them, and integrated them into a GIS (a digital mapping and analysis system). We assess how suitable these historical sources are for contemporary urban studies and explain our workflow and technical choices. The work covered database design (how data are organized), scanning, georeferencing (aligning old maps to real-world coordinates), vectorizing (tracing features into editable digital shapes), adding attributes (descriptive information), and sharing online. We conclude by reflecting on the outcomes, their limitations, and suggesting directions for future research.
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