Digimap makes History

early map of the center of West Barns
Map Series: County Series 1:10560 1846-1969
Map Edition: 1st Edition 1849-1899

map in the mid-20th century of the center of west barns, showing a different style of mapping and increased density of housing
Map Series: County Series 1:10560 1846-1969
Map Edition: 3rd Revision 1922-1969

modern map of West Barns, showing a different style of mapping and much higher density housing
Map Series: N.G. 1:10000/10560 Latest Editions
Map Edition: All Latest 1:10000/10560 NG Maps

The above sequence of historical maps showing the East Lothian village of West Barns illustrates not only patterns of building development but also of mapping styles over the years.

Maps offer a sense of place, and when presented in historical sequence, a sense of time. When delivered online, the implications of such a resource across a range of subjects are immense.

The Historic Map Collection, a new resource funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and available through Digimap, offers for the first time online access to historic maps covering Great Britain from the mid 1800s to the early 1990s.

For over five years Digimap service has been providing online access to contemporary Ordnance Survey (OS) maps and data. A well-established educational resource, it is used across a range of subject areas by experts and non-experts alike.

Digimap now contains two "Collections": the Ordnance Survey Data Collection and the Historic Map Collection, both available to further and higher education.

According to William Kilbride, Assistant Director of the Archaeology Data Service based at the University of York, its importance lies in its uncovering of historical developments which would otherwise remain hidden. "Early OS maps were created during the Industrial Revolution, so successive editions show radical transformations in the landscape which are relevant to geography, cultural heritage disciplines, economics and demography," he says.

"The earliest maps describe the shape of our medieval cities and successive ones show the impact of Victorian and 20th- Century expansion. They show the extent of urban encroachment on rural landscapes, and the processes of change in population and the economy." Such comparisons provide a "narrative" of the landscape and of the "aesthetics of cartography".

The resource can be used to study the changing landscape, contaminated land or the development of modern transport and communications networks, archaeological sites, among many other applications.

A wide range of less mainstream uses could include genealogical studies, the evaluation of past planning decisions, looking at agricultural history through the study of field boundaries or changes in place names, and many more which new users will discover for themselves.

The maps are digital scans of historical OS map sheets and number some 400,000 separate map images. This processing, carried out by the Landmark Information Group, means separate map sheets can be "joined" to provide for the first time seamless coverage where the original map images allow it.

Digimap allows up to four maps of the same location at different dates to be viewed side by side, enabling direct comparisons of the changing landscape and providing immense flexibility in terms of online viewing, printing and downloading.

Subscriptions to the Digimap Historic Map Collection are available to all HE and FE institutions. Details of the subscription process and costs can be found on the EDINA website at http://edina.ac.uk/digimap/subscribe Access to the service is via Athens authentication. JISC is offering a 20% discount to existing Digimap Ordnance Survey Data Collection subscribers.