----------------------------Original message----------------------------
EXCUSE the X posting (w. MAPS-L)
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>News that the UK Ordnance Survey has decided (with some gentle pressure from
>the historical map lobby - yes, there is one there!) to scan its archive of
>approx. half a million maps produced since 1800, should give some impetus to
>discussing the question of what to do with govt. paper maps.  It is also
>perhaps of note that the responsibility will fall on the producing agency
>itself, rather than a national archive such as the British Library or Public
>Record Office.
>
>Elsewhere I have the impression that these 'out of date' paper maps are being
>increasingly considered as the poor sisters of the geographic information
>revolution and the solution has to date often been to 'warehouse' the many
>editions of govt. maps in out of the way locations and with little in the way
>of bibliographic finding aids.  Even the completeness of the coverage thereby
>achieved may be questionable.
>
>In my view this is shortsighted. The size, extent and value of the analogue
>information contained in these series is almost immeasurable and a national
>geographic-historical data bank that will be of immense utility for future
>generations.  It would be interesting to learn what steps the various
>national agencies around the World are concerned with non-current map
>preservation of their map series through digital means.
>
>Incidentally this type of scanning program could provide some answers to the
>question of map distortion over time, as the computer will be able to give
>very accurate measures of differential distortions in map sizes due to paper
shrinkage.
>
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