It is now possible to devise dynamic views of past experience in the form of animated series of map images that can be started and stopped as "time" progresses to show conditions at any given moment.

Where to Find Maps

During this project, extensive use was made of both archival and digitally available maps.  Historic maps are usually only available in hard copy, or as a photographic image of a hard copy. They are most often found in local libraries, historic societies and archives, or in private collections. They can be very useful to establish the boundaries and conditions of a site at an earlier time. Historic photographs or maps such as the Sanborn Insurance Maps can be 'rubber-sheeted' and digitized with software such as Autodesk® Raster Design (previously known as Autodesk® CAD Overlay®), or from within GIS software, such as ArcView®.

The resources for digitally available maps are growing every day. Many local, county and state governments now have groups dedicated to improving the quality and quantity of digitally available cartographic information. To start your search for map information on-line, and for more information on GIS resources, click here.

Opening quote: Anne Kelly Knowles, Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History, Redlands, CA: ESRI Press, 2002.