OpenHistoricalMap/Resources

This page provides a list of resources that may be of value to historic mappers. Things listed here should have licenses that permit use for Open Data projects. Items found within the list are mainly maps but could also contain drawings, images, moving images, text, records, series, and virtual collections.

For more resources, particularly local resources actively used by a local mapping community, see the relevant community project page.

Comprehensive resources

OldMapsOnline A directory to over 400,000 maps in different repositories around the world. Each repository may have different rights and licenses associated.	Europeana Europeana brings together resources from memory institutions in Europe. With over 200,000 maps it is a comprehensive resource.

World

General

• Category:Old Maps on Wikimedia Commons
• Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin > Karten > Online-Angebote
• Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut > Sammlungen > Historische Karten
• Harvard Geospatial Library > Access : Public
• Gustav Droysen - Allgemeiner historischer Handatlas in 96 Karten
• Sammlung Ryhiner (UB Bern)
• Karten der Bibliothèque national de France
• GeoGreif der Uni Greifswald
• digi-Hub > Kartografie (UB Humboldt University) (143 Maps)
• Digitale Sammlung (UB Goethe-Universität Frankfurt) > keyword: map (~ 503 Maps)
• UB Wien > Sammlung > Karten und Atlanten (7.705 Maps)

Satellite and aerial imagery

Main article: OpenHistoricalMap/Imagery

Aerial and satellite imagery is a key source of geometry for extant features, features that have left a fingerprint on the present landscape, and features that we can infer from extant features based on other published sources.

A number of aerial imagery sources are listed by default in iD, Rapid, and Go Map!! via the Editor Layer Index, as well as in JOSM. Unlike OSM's version of iD, OHM's version also includes a full set of historical aerial imagery layers from Esri Wayback. You can find additional historical map and aerial imagery layers in our fork of ELI.

Europe

General

• Housetrails (Baugeschichte) – building histories in Austria and Germany, permission to cite
• Uni Göttingen > Viabundus - downloadable freely accessible online street map of late medieval and early modern northern Europe (1350-1650)
• europeana > Thema > Karte
• Digitales Forum Mittel- und Osteuropa > Karte (47 Maps)
• EUCOR Historische Karten
• Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek > Suche nach "*" + Strukturtyp: Karte (175 Maps)

France

• Inrap (institut national de recherches archeologiques préventives) -
• https://remonterletemps.ign.fr/telecharger - historical aerial imagery and maps, the images from the "télécharger" (download) section can be used
• POP : la plateforme ouverte du patrimoine
• Gallicia (Bibliothèque nationale de France) > Maps (88.339 Maps)

Germany

• Resources/Germany

The Netherlands

• topotijdreis.nl - historic maps, non-commercial open data license
• code.waag.org/buildings/ - buildings and addresses, non-commercial open data license

United Kingdom

See also: National Library of Scotland

Edinburgh

• Georeferenced maps of Edinburgh, NLS (TMS, WMS)

Switzerland

• Kartenportal.ch > Suche starten > Attribute > nur gescannte Karten anzeigen
• e-rara.ch > Dokumentyp: Karte (7.049 Maps)

Poland

• Mapster
• Cartography (Baltic Digital Library)
• Cartographic Materials (UB Wroclaw)
• Mapa (Biblioteka Elbląska) (49 Maps)
• Wielkopolska Digital Library > Type: Mapy (2.236 Maps)
• Biblioteka Publiczna m.st. Warszawy > Type: Mapa (161 Maps)

Estonia

• DIGAR > Type: map (National Library of Estonia) (5.191 Maps)

North America

Canada

• Library and Archives Canada
• City of Toronto Toronto Open Data

United States

• ghostsofdc.org - Ghosts of DC
• allmaps.org - AllMaps Project
• Online Guide to U.S. Map Collections
• US National Archives
• US Post Office locations
• US Census Enumeration Maps
• Library of Congress

Satellite and aerial imagery:

• USGS Earth Explorer - library of digitized aerial photographs of the US in the 20th century

Geological maps:

• United States Geological Survey Historical Maps online
• National Mine Map Repository - US Department of the Interior

Map collections:

• Sanborn Maps - (USA) Detailed fire insurance maps are out of copyright over 97 years old from Library of Congress
  See also: Sanborn Map geoferencing
  • oldinsurancemaps.net - Adam Cox’s Sanborn Maps project
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (UTexas)
• David Rumsey Map collection

Topographical maps:

• USGS topoView – includes the Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain); see instructions for loading HTMC into an editor

Alabama

• Alabama Maps from the University of Alabama

Kentucky

• Kentucky City Database – Kentucky Land Office database containing dates of incorporation and boundary changes
• Ohio & Kentucky maps from Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

Massachusetts

• Boston Public Library Leventhal Map & Education Center - provides many georeferenced maps

Michigan

• University of Michigan Library > Format: Map + Availability: Available Online (18.670 Maps)

New York

• NYPL Map and Atlas Collection - NYPL uses mapwarper so TMS URLs are available for each geo-referenced map. Much of the NYPL collection comes up using Old Maps Online (see above)

North Carolina

• North Carolina Maps provides a large number of historic maps of NC from the State Archives of North Carolina, the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Outer Banks History Center. The maps are not georeferenced.

Ohio

• Ohio & Kentucky maps from Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
• Cincinnati historical maps from the University of Cincinnati

Washington

• Washington State Archives - Washington State Archives - Digital Archives - Secretary of State
• Legacy Washington

Wisconsin

• UWM Libraries Digital Collections > Browse all collections > Type : Cartographic images + maps

See also

• Images of early maps on the web
• Historical Map Web Sites