Digitizing Dutch Censuses 1795-1956 Preliminary results & work in progress Luuk Schreven [email protected] Netherlands Institute for Scientific.

Digitizing Dutch Censuses1795-1956

Preliminary results & work in progress

Luuk [email protected]

Netherlands Institute for Scientific Information Services

Structure of presentation

1. Introduction to census project– Efforts to harmonize census data– Remote access to census micro

data

2. Tour of the new website

3. Historical GIS for the Netherlands

Introduction to census project

• 1997 - 1999:– Scanning 200 books, 42.500 pages– Data-entry census 1899

• 2002 - March 2004:– Validation and correction of census data

1795-1859 and 1930– Digital archiving census 1960 and 1971

• March 2003 – December 2005:– Life Courses in Context (see: http://

www.lifecoursesincontext.nl)– Data-entry of census data 1869-1956– Documentation, harmonization, access and

research

What has been realized?

• New website up and running – Only in Dutch! – Some 40.000 pages of tabular (aggregate)

census data downloadable from website– Documentation is available– Validation and correction are partially

complete– Harmonization schemes for certain census

variables

• (restricted) Access to original micro data files for 1960 and 1971 census– Van Tubergen & Maas (2005)

Still to do…

• Finishing validation and correction• Building harmonization schemes for census

variables:– HISCO for harmonization of occupations– Standardizing sub municipal divisions – Harmonizing other variables and categories

• Linking to Life Courses data from the Historical Sample of the Netherlands

• Better access to the data– Data not only as Excel spreadsheets– StatLine or Nesstar? Or other publication tool?

• Translation of the website to English!

Volksmenigte in de Bataafsche Republiek, 1795

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900000

Provincie

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Grond-vergaderingen

Population per municipality in 1795

Source: http://www.nidi.nl/

In 1795 Amsterdam is the biggest city with 217.024 “souls” Klein-Waspik is the smallest hamlet with 3 inhabitants; a total of 1807 municipalities are mentioned in the census.

Boonstra’s NLKaart

• Dr. Boonstra’s NLKaart;

– mid 1980’s onwards

– first Historical GIS?

– municipal boundaries

between 1830 - 1990

– first SAS/Graph based,

later MapInfo

HGIN; a Historical Geographic Information

System for the Netherlands

• Project goals:– Converting and correcting Boonstra’s

NLKaart– digitizing maps with sub municipal

boundaries ‘wijken’ (neighbourhoods) and ‘buurten’ (blocks) (1920 – 1971)

– Setting up a gazetteer of historic places– Making the everything available on the web

HGIN details: technical stuff

• Scalable Vector Graphics

• Geoserver as basic geographical data server (OpenGIS)

• User friendly interface in NIWI’s Content Management Software: i-Torsee: http://www.itor.org or http://www.nidi.nl for working preview of the GIS.

HGIN details: results so far

• Testversion of mapping application is running at NIDI’s website (www.nidi.nl)

• 1960 and 1971 sub municipal maps available

• 1930, 1947 and 1956 maps are being digitized (outsourced)

• NLKaart converted to ArcGIS

• Work on gazetteer started

HGIN details: religion 1971 (provincial)Percentage Roman Catholic by province, Census 1971

HGIN details: religion 1971 (municipal)Percentage Roman Catholic by municipality, Census 1971

HGIN details: religion 1971 (submunicipal)

Percentage Roman Catholic by block / neighbourhood, Census 1971