-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: Re: Old Roads project (Virginia)
Date:   Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:47:58 -0600 (CST)
From:   [log in to unmask]
To:     [log in to unmask]


Just an FYI - Vermont passed legislation in 2006 that gave cities and
towns to identify old public roads and keep them as public ways.  Here
are a few links to a Google search"  old roads in vermont.  You might
find information here on what VT did to record these roads.

Jim

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/us/11roads.html

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2009/03/04/vermonters_search_for_roads_of_yore/

http://www.vtroads.com/



    ----- Forwarded Message -----
    From: "Karen Myers" <[log in to unmask]>
    To: [log in to unmask]
    Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 4:19:43 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
    Subject: Old Roads project (Virginia)




    Hi, all.



    As a newbie to the list, I'm hoping you folks might be able to guide me.



    I am involved (as the helpful local computer geek) in enabling some
    amateur county historical society folks to create a database of old
    colonial and later roads, with associated information, in Clarke
    County, VA (the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley).



    Their minimum goal is simply to get, in some computerized form, the
    traces-on-the-ground info and supporting materials. That's
    straightforward. My goal, on the other hand, is to create a
    framework for holding this information as a layer of data which can
    be superimposed over modern landform maps and modern road maps, and
    which is ideally extensible to adjacent counties someday.



    Before I start asking technical questions about current recommended
    mapping programs and the state of current databases, I have a more
    fundamental question: is there any sort of evolved standard for
    mapping historical US roads or pathways today, perhaps as some
    existing academic "best practice" project? I can invent this from
    scratch but I would much rather plug into whatever work may be going
    on already. Or is it too early, and there are nothing but isolated
    heterogeneous data structures being built? (I have older experience
    in "knowledge management" design and technologies, but I'm out of
    date in the mapping domain and not plugged in to any of the academic
    channels).



    For that matter, are there any grad students out there who might
    find it interesting to collaborate on something like this?



    Thanks in advance for any direction you can give me - much appreciated!



    Regards,



    Karen Myers



    [log in to unmask] (email)

    540-554-8334 (home)

    408-242-5580 (cell)

    408-904-4887 (efax)



    http://www.KarenLMyers.org/