The document discusses the development of Georeferencer, an online collaborative tool for georeferencing scanned maps, initiated by various institutions to enhance metadata and facilitate easy access to historical cartographic materials. It addresses challenges of manual georeferencing and highlights features such as user-friendly access, crowdsourcing, and advanced geospatial searches. The Georeferencer tool aims to serve libraries, archives, and the public by providing a scalable, cloud-based solution that enables efficient map digitization and metadata enrichment.

1. Petr Přidal
petr.pridal@mzk.cz
GEOREFERENCER:
COLLABORATIVE ONLINE GEOREFERENCING TOOL FOR
SCANNED MAPS
Moravian Library Brno: OldMapsOnline.org & TEMAP
R&D grant of the Czech Ministry of Culture (DC08P02OUK006)
International Cartographic Association: 6th International Workshop on Digital Approaches in Cartographic Heritage
The Hague, Netherlands, 7-8 April 2011

2. INTRODUCTION
Large collections of old maps are scanned and published
online in digital repositories. But ...
MAPS ARE NOT ONLY IMAGES!
... once they are georeferenced, they are much more
attractive and useful: visualizations, comparing, location
context, annotations, geographical search...

3. PROBLEMS
• Hand made georeferencing is time consuming process
• The scanned collections are two large (thousands of
maps to handle)
• There are more technical approaches how to
georeference old maps, not always clear workflow
especially for pre-1850 - you need to keep this “how”
• Disk space: georeferenced copy next to the original scan
• GIS software and knowledge necessary
• Workers need to have access to large files (JPEG/TIFF/...)

4. GEOREFERENCER AS A SOLUTION
• User-friendly online tool: runs in a web browser
• Simply visit a website, log-in and you can start
• Easy and enjoyable process
• Open for online visitors, organized volunteers, crowdsourcing
• No GIS software necessary, no local files to handle
• GIS-ready outputs possible - you can easily create GeoTIFF/GeoJP2 if you
have access to the high-resolution images
• Service for EU libraries, archives & citizens
• Developed in a library - for libraries and other culture heritage institutions
GEOREFERENCER: TURN AN IMAGE INTO A MAP.

8. MOTIVATION FOR GEOREFERENCER
INSTITUTIONS: INDIVIDUALS:
• Enrichment of metadata • Georeference any online
(MARC, DC, ISO 19139) image on the Internet
• Engaging visitors • Combine images from
• Attractive 3D visualization different institutions
(Google Earth) • Create your own virtual
• GIS services (WMS, WMTS/ collection
TMS, ...) • Conduct research online,
• Statistics & crediting compare, analyze, share, ...

9. INSTITUTIONS: PILOT APPLICATIONS
• Moravian Library, Czech Republic (students)
• Nationaal Archief, Netherlands (organized volunteers)
• National Library of Scotland (online visitors, anybody)
TRY THE GEOREFERENCER PILOT:
HTTP://NLS.GEOREFERENCER.COM/
OR THE PUBLIC SERVICE FOR INDIVIDUALS:
HTTP://WWW.GEOREFERENCER.ORG/

10. http://nls.georeferencer.com/

11. GEOREFERENCER PILOTS
Pilot: Nationaal Archief. 13 volunteers. Great feedback!

12. GEOREFERENCER PILOTS
Result: 650 maps georeferenced in less then one month!
Metadata enrichment.

13. GEOREFERENCER PILOTS
Crowdsourcing: Retired volunteers. Excellent local knowledge.
Competition & a public winner.

14. GEOREFERENCER PILOTS
First public pilot: the National Library of Scotland.

15. GEOREFERENCER PILOTS
Anybody can participate. It is easy & fun.
http://geo.nls.uk/maps/georeferencer/

16. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
• Unique scalable architecture. One centralized service
for all libraries and maps. Upgrades and new
functionality deployed automatically.
• Runs “in the cloud” - Google AppEngine / Amazon.
• Server side based on open-source GIS stack (Proj4,
GDAL, MapSever). Closure Library on the client side.
MINIMAL EFFORT TO PARTICIPATE.
IMAGES ARE USED DIRECTLY FROM EXISTING ONLINE
REPOSITORIES!

17. NEXT STEPS?

18. GEOREFERENCER: NEW DESIGN

19. SPATIAL REFERENCE SYSTEMS
Coordinate systems with map projection, for example
OSGB or S-JTSK and in general any reference system
from EPSG database usable in Georeferencer

20. IMPROVED BASE MAPS
Out-of-copyright base maps, agreements with local
authorities for using official mapping data (WMS).
Fast and visually appealing version of OpenStreetMap as
an alternative - probably from MapQuest.
OpenAerialMap.

21. HIGH QUALITY GEOCODING
Fast and reliable search in gazeteer database based on
OpenStreetMap or GeoNames.org data.
Online service, without license restrictions of Google
GeoCoding API - usable both in GeoReferencer a
GeoParser services.

22. API FOR DATA INTERCHANGE
AND 3RD PARTY FUNCTIONALITY
REST API based on JSON for exchange of data between
Georeferencer and third-party applications.
JavaScript API for easy integration into library websites.

23. COLLABORATIVE EDITING
Technical solution of the problem of concurent team
editing of map georeference by serveral people in the
same moment - locking and communication a la online
chat in a web browser (via HTTP Comet)

24. CROWDSOURCING
Social aspects:
Motivation. Team. Competition. Guiding. Rewarding.

25. DUPLICATES +
AUTOGEOREFERENCING
Research and development
of algorithms and
application for raster
image analysis.
Target: detection of scans
of the same map (via
“image hash”) and
following automatical
assignment of ground
control points.

26. NEATLINE DETECTION
Automatic detection of map sheet borders based on the
image analysis algorithms.

27. GEOREFERENCING OF MAP SERIES
Database of Czech map series
with GIS-ready map indexes.
Integration with
Georeferencer: georeferencing
with the help of existing map
indexes.
Authorities for cataloguing of
map series.
Maybe a new project:
OpenMapIndexes.org

28. WEBGL EARTH
Google Earth-like visualization of georeferenced maps in
a web browser or on mobile devices.
100% open-source, no license restrictions, runs without
a need to install any extra software. Under development.
http://www.webglearth.com/

29. http://www.webglearth.com/

30. COOPERATE. CONTACT US.
• Institutions interested in participation
• Share expectations - ideas for improvement?
• Sources of support on international level: development of
a service for EU institutions and citizens?
• We are seeking research partners: image processing, ...
HTTP://NLS.GEOREFERENCER.COM/
HTTP://WWW.GEOREFERENCER.ORG/
PETR.PRIDAL@MZK.CZ

31. Petr Přidal
petr.pridal@klokantech.com
KLOKAN TECHNOLOGIES - Museo 300 KLOKAN TECHNOLOGIES - Museo Sans 500
KLOKAN TECHNOLOGIES - Museo 500 KLOKAN TECHNOLOGIES - Museo Sans 500
KLOKAN TECHNOLOGIES - Museo 700 KLOKAN TECHNOLOGIES - Museo Sans 700
INTUITIVE GEOGRAPHICAL SEARCHING IN MAP
COLLECTIONS AND METADATA CATALOGS
International Cartographic Association: 6th International Workshop on Digital Approaches in Cartographic Heritage
The Hague, Netherlands, 7-8 April 2011

32. GEOGRAPHICAL SEARCHING
• Research, scientific articles, work on Ph.D. thesis (Petr Přidal),
Computer Science + Geodesy and Cartography
• Alternative projects tested in OldMapsOnline.org (R&D project in MZK):
• Lucene with GeoTemporal Ext. (LGTE) from DigMap.eu
• Alexandria Digital Library
• TimeMap.net (ECAI.org)
• Google GeoSearch API
• Knowledge of traditional GIS search methods (PostGIS, ...)
Result: Development of a new geographical search engine
for map collections.

33. Explore library catalog by browsing a map.

34. CORE FEATURES
• Map-driven interface: Simple. Intuitive. Web 2.0.
Users love it!
• Combined queries: Where, When, Who & What
• Results sorted geographically with an advanced
spatial ranking algorithm.
• Instant search. Immediate delivery of the results by
moving the map or typing.
• It is fast. Even for large databases (million+ records).

35. METADATA & CUSTOMIZATION
• Indexing metadata in MARC, DublinCore, ISO
19139 formats, ...
• Batch import or harvesting: OAI-PMH or OGC CWS
• Numerical geographical boundaries necessary!
(MARC 034, DublinCore DCMI) - enrichment with
Geoparser or Georeferencer tools
• Possible customization of the user interface,
integration into products or websites
• For developers: REST API (JSON format), queries
following OpenSearch.org

36. Try it at: http://demo.mapranksearch.com/

37. Try it at: http://rumsey.mapranksearch.com/

38. Try it at: http://mapy.mzk.cz/

39. TOUCH INTERFACE

40. MAPRANK RANKING &
SCALABILITY
• MapRank ranking: an advanced algorithm calculating
similarity of geographical area of query and area covered
by every document and combining it with map scale, time
range, predefined categories and traditional full text
search.
• Data indexing implemented specifically to provide ranked
real-time results even for large databases. Traditional R-
Tree indexing or Lucene are failing.
• Server component: FastCGI, C++
• Default user interface developed with Closure JavaScript
Library + Closure Compiler.

41. ENRICHMENT OF METADATA
Geoparser
Text parsing and semi-automatic assignment of
bounding boxes to map records with detectable
geonames (gazetteer), known physical size and map
scale.
Georeferencer
Crowdsourced georeferencing. Higher accuracy, more
outputs beside geometadata such as visualization, 3D
view, comparing of maps, OGC WMS for use in GIS.

44. NEXT STEPS?

45. IMPROVEMENT OF THE SYSTEM
• The ranking: new requirements in Switzerland, union
catalog. Boosting some maps, etc.
• Improvements related to map series - visualization of
map indexes in the search interface
• Faceted search - refine the query: suggested authors
• Advanced search options: alternative sorting, ...
IDEA: FEDERATED MAP SEARCH SYSTEM

46. CONTACT & LINKS
Try the applications:
http://www.kartenportal.ch/
http://rumsey.mapranksearch.com/
http://mapy.mzk.cz/
More details and enquiries:
http://www.mapranksearch.com/
INFO@KLOKANTECH.COM