[OSM-talk-ie] Old Map

[Richard Cantwell]

These maps are a brilliant resource and are still in daily use today
by everyone from planners to road engineers.  The cartography on them
is a step above current large scale mapping available from OSi even
today.  As Rory mentioned getting your hand on them isn't easy, and if
we are to use them in OSM we will probably have to scan and recitify
from paper copies ourselves.

I could certainly assist with the rectification - I have access to a
range of commercial and open-source GIS software - but the scanning
could prove troublesome.  There are 1,994 sheets in total (some more
details here: http://www.ucd.ie/library/guides/pdf/architecture/SixInchMaps.pdf)
and companies who operate large format scanners, such as Hacketts on
Baggot St. in Dublin, expressly will not scan OSi maps, even old ones,
unless you can produce a current OSi copyright license.

One other, frequently overlooked, source might be the Geological
Survey of Ireland.  They scanned and rectified one of the six-inch
series (I think it was the third edition, dated from the early 1900's)
and edgematched them, overlaid an Irish Grid and re-issued at 1:25,000
 I'm not sure when the GSI did this work, my gut geeling is that it
was done sometime in the 1960's so it might not be out of copyright
yet.

Regards,

Richard

-=-
www.geographic.ie

On 29 March 2011 10:18, Rory McCann <rory at technomancy.org> wrote:
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> Hi all,
>
> I've been doing some research and discovered that in the mid and late
> 19th century, the ordnance survey did a complete map of Ireland, firstly
> at 6 inch to the mile (1:105000) and then at 25 inch to the mile
> (1:2500). You can see these historic maps on
> http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/ It's very cool
>
> Since these maps are more than 100 years old, they are no longer under
> copyright, so in theory if we had them, we could add details from them
> into Open Street Map.
>
> Although a map from 1835 might not seem very useful for us, it would
> allow us to add in all the Townland borders into OSM. Who knows what
> else we could add, fairy forts? little boreens in the middle of
> no-where, etc.
>
> However the problem is getting hold of them. The OSi sells some copies
> for a fortune, and since they've rectified them, they are copyright
> 2000something. Various national and university libraries have copies,
> but I'm not a student. The national library might be able to help, etc.
>
> One company has a scanned copy (http://pasthomes.com/) that they got
> from trinity, but they rectified them and are asserting copyright.
>
> If anyone has any ideas, or can get a scan/photocopy of these maps, it
> would be cool.
>
> I'll keep ye posted if i get my hands on some.
>
> Rory
>
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