Digimap Case Study:
Historical and Geological Landscape Visualization in the South Wales Coalfield
Authors
- Dr. Peter Brabham, School of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University.
- Ms. Catherine Preston, Dr Bill Jones, Dr Steve Mills, School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University
Title
Historical and Geological Landscape Visualization in the South Wales Coalfield
Date
October 2006–2009
Application Area
Geology & History
Application to other subject areas
Physical Geography, Human geography, Civil Engineering, Archaeology
Project type
PhD Thesis
Summary
Often the historical study of UK areas where natural resources have been heavily exploited eg. coal / tin, often fail to appreciate that the details of the geology and landscape have strongly influenced the locations of mines and subsequent township and transport infrastructure development.
By using modern GIS mapping and data integration the subtle interaction of 3D landscape surface, geological stratigraphy and structure can be visualized.
Datasets Used
Name: Digimap,OS Profile,OS Panorama, Historical mapping, air photography, satellite radar.
Source: E.g. Digimap, landmap, Getmapping millennium mapping, Intermap Technologies DTM, Welsh Assembly Government air photo archive, miscellaneous geological and Coal Authority map archives
Aims and Objectives
The South Wales Coalfield is one of the most heavily exploited coal basins in the World. Although there are now only two deep mines still active in South Wales the area has been mined since the C17th reaching its zenith in 1913.
This project aims to make geological information more accessible to the historical researcher in South Wales by the production of 3D landscape visualizations. Integrating 3D landscape, geology, historical mapping and air photography using GIS allows the subtleties of geological coal exploitation within the 3D landscape of the South Wales valleys to be appreciated by the historian.
Methodology
Although the amount of coal data available is vast, most of this data is paper based and not in an easily accessible GIS format. Since the mid C19th every coal mine on abandonment had to deposit a mine map with the government by law (now in Coal Authority archives). However with 1000s of mines once active in the area, each with many exploited seams means that this dataset is vast and unintelligible to the non-geologist.
Historical OS mapping shows the rapid C19th development of townships and villages. Post WWII stereo air photography flown for UK reconstruction again has a wealth of detail within.
Most of the coalfield topography consists of plateaux and deeply incised valleys. Using detailed digital terrain models of study areas (OS, Satellite Radar, LIDAR) historical mapping and air photography can be draped onto the 3D surface. Geological surfaces (which often have little relationship to topography) can also be imaged using modern 3D software. The interaction of these two surfaces causes geological coal seams to outcrop on the sides of the valleys in distinct patterns.
Using anaglyph techniques stereo air photography can be manipulated to provide large format 3D imagery which can be viewed using 3D glasses. Used in conjunction with geology maps, the researcher can see why coal mines, adits, tips, iron works, limestone quarries, railways and townships were situated in an uneven pattern throughout the area.
Additional Information
|
Blaengarw 1947 |
|
Coal Seam Structure |
|
Data Sources |
|
Rhondda Valley Deep Coal Mines |
|
South Wales Coal Mines |
|
South Wales Coalfield Geology |
 |
Central Coalfield Valleys Geology |
 |
Rhondda railways by 1913 |
References
BRABHAM, P.J., 2004, "The Rhondda Valleys: Using GIS to visualize a variety of geological issues in an intensely mined area". In: NICHOL, D., BASSETT, M.G., and DEISLER, V.K. (eds) Urban Geology in Wales 1, p222-233, National Museum of Wales Geological Series No.23, Cardiff.
BRABHAM, P.J., 2005. "The Rhondda Valleys : Using GIS to visualize the rise and fall of coal mining and its industrial legacy". In: BASSETT, M.G., DEISLER, V.K. and NICHOL, D., (eds) Urban Geology in Wales 2, p193-204 , National Museum of Wales Geological Series No.24, Cardiff.
Acknowledgments
Ms. Catherine Preston is funded by a Cardiff University Richard Whipp fellowship which is designed to promote novel inter-disciplinary research topics within Cardiff University.
Publishing Institution
University of Cardiff
Contact us at: edina@ed.ac.uk
EDINA, Causewayside House
160 Causewayside, Edinburgh
United Kingdom EH9 1PR
EDINA is the Jisc-designated national data centre at the University of Edinburgh.
