Displaying historical information on wiki maps?

November 5, 2006 10:04 AM

Help a History Professor: How do I create a local history and geography website with wiki functionality?

I have in my mind a website where local history information could be displayed geographically, on a clickable map. The user could toggle different map layers and display different, overlapping datasets.

Example 1: The user could choose “one-room school houses” and the map would display where such school houses were located, with a red dot for ones that no longer exist and a blue dot for those still standing. Clicking on the dot would bring up modern and historic photos and text about the school house. Old cemeteries would display the same way.

Example 2: The user could search for historic photos and postcards by decade. Choose 1900-1910 and a dot pops up for each photo on the location where it was taken. Click on the dot and get the photo and text. The photos should be taggable with terms like “recreation” or “postcards” and user should be able to tag sort.

Example 3: The user could zoom from a county-wide to a close-up of the main town. I want to create layers of my town by decade, layers that would incorporate block-by-block, building-by-building displays of census data, old photos, newspaper articles about notable events which happened there, etc.

Example 4 (the tough one): Old maps would be somehow connected to the database. I have digital copies of the first surveys of my country from the 1840s. Ideally, I would like users to be able to view such maps, then to toggle modern overlays that would appear on them—principally roads.

Big Complication: I realize that if I get this all up, it will require an enormous input of data to make it interesting. I can use a certain amount of “volunteer” labor from my college students. But what I would really like to do is to make this a huge experiment in community history, and allow anyone with an internet connection to go in and add their information to the maps. There are so many genealogists and local historians out there, if I harness their interest, this could really take off.

So how do—or can I—make this happen? I have no particular computer skills, and am hoping to use free, intuitive products like Google Maps to make this happen. If I have to learn GIS, it probably isn’t going to happen.

Any clues how I get started? I have found many places that do parts of what I want, such as Wikimapping or Flickr geotagging or MS Mapcruncher, but nothing that integrates it all. Does anyone know of a website where this kind of thing is already happening that I can use as a model? Links are very much appreciated!

posted by LarryC to education (8 comments total)

dataplace.org does what you need, though they work with contemporary data sources. you might be able to use that software framework with historical sources with a bit of work.
posted by judith at 11:14 AM on November 5, 2006

Have a look at the Map of Early Modern London project. There isn’t much info on the site about how it was made but you could get in touch with the people behind it and ask for ideas.
posted by atropos at 11:44 AM on November 5, 2006

The hard part of Example #4 is georectifying the old maps - they may be skewed, or use a different projection from Google/Yahoo maps, and will require some massaging to work in context. I know David Rumsey is doing a lot of work in this area, but it's necessarily slow-going.

Example #1 could probably be addressed by Wikimapia or Flickr. Platial may also have something to offer.

The historical aspect has been tried in a few ways (Berlin, conflict), but never to my knowledge in an entirely satisfactory way suitable for submissions from casual participants. Simple visual representation of time would make such a project more difficult and more rewarding than just a quick mashup IMHO.
posted by migurski at 12:06 PM on November 5, 2006

I haven't poked around this website too much, but it could be right up your alley:

http://www.downwindproductions.com/
posted by apostrophe at 4:32 PM on November 5, 2006

Example 1 is eminently doable through the Google Maps API, and relatively simple. Example 2 would require some database functionality at your end, I think, but could still be done with Google Maps. (Or the map service of your choice.) Examples 3 and 4 are much harder; that sort of functionality is normally delivered by some form of web GIS interface. (Google Earth layers might work, too.)

You'll need some expertise for this, I think.

I've posted a few entries on georectification on The Map Room; see the Georeferencing category (self link).

For all I know, Microsoft Labs's MapCruncher, a georeferencing tool now supported by the Virtual Earth API, may be of use.
posted by mcwetboy at 5:06 PM on November 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

Just thought I'd add this: if you want a simple preconfigured Wiki site, you can try this: PBWiki
posted by Aanidaani at 5:48 PM on November 5, 2006

Google Earth just added limited historical maps.
posted by migurski at 12:08 PM on November 13, 2006

I am attempting a similar history project for Monson MA., attempting to use Google Earth to record the locations of local mill/dam/pond sites in the town and adjacent areas.

I would like to include my own digital images, old maps & photos. I have already have a beta version of a site using the Google Maps API
( http://www.anable.com/MONSON/DAMPOND.html )

but would like to move it to Google Earth.

I am using GE to obtain the long/lat/alt information now, and sense the present version is rather clunky, but it does provide a way of merging the digital images with the map presentation.

I, too, am interested in ways of overlaying my digital images of old maps on the GE presentation, but have not figured out a way of doing so.

I have a number of observations about the current state of affairs, which might reflect my incomplete understanding.

1. Geocoding.

I have attempted to include geocoding data into my site images using a number of shareware downloads - the best one I have found is iTag
( http://itagsoftware.awswa.com/doco.php ) which allows you to copy from GE the geocodes directly into the EXIF fields in the Jpeg files

2. Automatically displaying the EXIF information.

Apparently, this depends on the default desktop utility assigned to display jpeg files - even Photoshop does not do it, unless you are in their more complete album application. It would be nice to be able to somehow instruct the local application to display the EXIF and related data to display, without creating intermediate html files.

3. Displaying thumbnails versions of the jpeg files.

This is similar to the second issue, since most jpeg files contain a thumbnail image. Many applications I have seen maintain both original jpeg files and thumbnail versions.


Monson, had at one time, over a dozen one room school houses, which became important to me, since 1) residents were taxed by school district and 2) mills were sited as assets (in the town reports.)

From old maps, I have been able to locate most of the schools, as well as the mill sites and their owners.

It would seem we have similar goals and need additional assistance,
posted by anable at 8:19 AM on January 20, 2007