5/8/14

Map Sheets to Minecraft--Digital Map Collections at NYPL

Attending a presentation at the grad center on maps and how the library is providing access to high resolution data on historical maps and translating this material into other kinds of information highly useful to thinking about many questions. Ben Vershbow of the NYPL Labs  and Greg Cram, who is the library's associate director of copyright and information policy, talked about a variety of methods and applications the library is using to incorporate the work and interests of the general public towards inputing what we can see of the city now in relation to hundred year old insurance maps.

Pursuing my interest in family history in Palatka and Jacksonville, Florida I have used insurance maps and city directories to precisely locate and identify my ancestors. I adore maps but as they have talked about, a low resolution map is almost worthless.