Project: Historical geographical information system Dutch cadastral maps 1832

Peter Ekamper, Erik Beekink, Frans van Poppel

The aim of this project is to digitize and present some Dutch historical cadastral maps for the purpose of demographic analysis at the micro level.

During the past years various initiatives were taken to use historical cartographic material available in several Dutch historical archives. In the first place one can think of digitizing (scanning) the available paper versions of historical maps. However, more and more, there is a need not only for scanning historical maps, but also for preparing, i.e. vectorizing and georeferencing, them for presentation and analysis of other data sources, for instance, demographic and other socio-economic data at the family and household level from historical population censuses and (other) registers.
This project will unlock some Dutch municipalities using a geographical information system (GIS) to vectorize historical cadastral maps. For the Dutch municipality of Woerden, for instance, we explored the possibilities to link historical cadastral maps both historical in time and to the current digital cadastral system. Currently NIDI is working together with the Frysk Akademy on digitizing and linking the historical cadastral maps of Amsterdam to population register data of 1851-1853 (HISGIS Amsterdam). Such links allow analyses of changes in time, both from a demographic, spatial planning, and genealogical perspective.

Map

This demo application presents a vectorized version of the first official cadastral map of the year 1832 of the Dutch town of Goes by parcel/premises including some cadastral register data on parcel/premises ownership in 1832, population census data per household in 1840, and data on a smallpox epidemic in 1864.

Launch map full screen

Publications

Ekamper, P. (2010),

Using cadastral maps in historical demographic research: some examples from the Netherlands. The History of the Family 15 (1): 1-12. [pdf]

Mol, J.A. & P. Ekamper (2010),

De kadastrale kapstok; HISGIS Fryslân als model voor een Nederlands basissysteem. In: O. Boonstra & A. Schuurman (eds.), Tijd en ruimte; nieuwe toepassingen van GIS in de alfawetenschappen. Utrecht: Stichting Matrijs, p. 198-209.

Ekamper, P. & H. Mol (2008),

De bevolking van Leeuwarden halverwege de negentiende eeuw; de volkstelling van 1839 in kaart gebracht met HISGIS Fryslân. Fryslân, nieuwsblad voor geschiedenis en cultuur 13 (3): 5-14. [pdf]

Links

• Historical Geographical Information System Fryslân (HISGIS Fryslân)