Geographic Information Systems: Linking History to 2012 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Challenges There were several challenges that were overcome to complete this project. The issue of legibility was a major concern as the 1878 map made it difficult to disnguish some names while transposing them into the databases. Another issue was with the dimen- sions of the map that needed to match the projecon of the streeiles. The historic map had distorons and these needed to be tweaked and recfied during the Georeferencing process. Another challenge is the amount of me and detail required to recreate a paper map. Conclusion The idea of doing a project like this points out the importance for any urban selement to remember their roots and celebrate as well as protect historically sig- nificant landmarks. The preservaon of historical maps in a GIS format can give glimpses of our connecon to the past, present and future. The historical paper maps are numerous and should be included in any town or city’s GIS archive. Introducon This project illustrates the wide scope of Geographic Informaon Systems (GIS) capabilies. Used as a tool in decision making and loca- on analysis GIS can also be an invaluable tool in cataloguing historical data. Illustrated in this project is the versality of GIS in linking histori- cal paper maps to present day datasets. Using scanned paper maps from the year 1878 of my hometown of Newmarket, I digized all the data and recreated all of the property lines and significant historical land- marks. Purpose Heritage preservaon of any area is very important to an understanding of the rela- onship of the present to its past. Preserving our history brings about an increased interest and pride that could translate into more revenue in the form of tourism (walking tours, museums, exhibits). House owners can search their current address and find out what farm they were a part of and their proximity to historical town land- marks. Informaon such as the owners name and farmhouse, occupaon, even apple orchards can give present day residents insight into the origin of Newmarket and the many streets named aſter founding residents. Methodology There were many steps taken in order to re-create the 1878 map of Newmarket into a GIS. In step one, maps were downloaded off the McGill University digital library map collecon on their website. Present day aerial photography was used to show the level of urbanizaon now in the area and to aid with lining up the historic maps. In step two, by using a tool called Georeferencing in the ArcMap program, the old maps were stretched and warped in order to match boundaries in the town of Newmarket to present day streeiles. Finished Product In step three, once the images were recfied, Shapefiles were created using the polygon tool for each property in the town and surrounding area. Once every property line was re-created in digital format the following features were also created; farm houses, apple orchards, tannery, churches, businesses, schools, cemeteries, post office, river system, and the railroad. A total of 1516 polygons were created. In step four, informaon such as the names of the owners wrien on the 1878 map were logged into the databases adding intelligence to the shapefiles. When a polygon is selected in ArcMap using the idenfy tool the underlying database intelligence becomes evident. Furthermore, historical images as well as websites can be hyperlinked to further illus- trate and enhance the data and the link to significant landmarks. 0 0.15 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 Kilometres 0 0.15 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 Kilometres 0 0.15 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 Kilometres Jonathan Howley Department of Geography NAD 1983 UTM Zone 17 N ArcMap 10