GIS 5265 Module 4: Historic Records and Documents

Module 4 of GIS Applications in Archaeology introduced us to searching for and incorporating historic documents in ArcMap for research and layout design.  Of course, this includes historic maps and aerial imagery, but it also includes other types of data (such as the census document in the map above).  One source we explored was Ancestry.com, from which the image of the 1790 census was acquired.  While searching for Paul Revere and acquiring the census were the only requirements for using Ancestry.com, I have begun a sample family tree using the site and am amazed at the wealth of data available.  I may not continue with a paid subscription at this time, but I will keep it in mind for the future.

The lab assignment also explored the use of the Swipe, Hyperlink, and HTML pop-up tools.  The Swipe tool in particular is useful for comparing maps of the same area from different times, as we did here with our Boston maps.  The Hyperlink tool is used to link documents (such as the census and portrait images above) to features in a map.  The HTML pop-up tool can be used to display attribute data for features as well as link to a website in a pop-up window.  Unfortunately, I experienced some issues with this tool.  Although the browser pop-up window did appear when I used the tool, the target of the link (a Google Map Streetview of the Revere House) never loaded.  Instead, I was consistently given a script error warning and a pop-up window of a Google Search for the Revere House.  The provided link worked correctly when input in a browser, so I imagine there is a setting in my ArcMap somewhere that is preventing the link from working properly.

To finalize the above map, I exported it from ArcMap into Adobe Illustrator for fine-tuning.  I was skeptical at first in last semester's Cartography class that I would use Illustrator much, but I have been converted on its superior image editing capability.  In particular, the drop-shadows created in Illustrator look much better than those created in ArcMap.

This was a fun lab that expanded our idea of historic data beyond maps and aerial imagery.