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Posted by: Julie Stoner
This blog post highlights unusual maps found in the Geography and Map Division collections including a chart of port cities, a history of the Civil War, and a railroad organization chart.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, Big Data and Visualization
Posted by: Lena Denis
I recently heard a factoid in passing that fascinated me and sparked further investigation: after having been decidedly middle of the pack immediately post-Civil War, the United States’ share of total world manufacturing output became the highest in the world between 1880 and 1900, with a near exponential pace of growth during these decades. Oddly, …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, Big Data and Visualization, Geography and Map Division
Posted by: Meagan Snow
This blog posts provides an introduction to some early maps produced from images captured by ERTS-1 (later known as Landsat I), the world's first earth-observing satellite.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, Big Data and Visualization, Geographic Information Science
Posted by: Meagan Snow
How have national and global populations been mapped over time? This blog post uses collection items from the Geography & Map Division at the Library of Congress to explore changing methods for mapping populations, from census-based thematic maps to modern population raster datasets.
Posted in: Big Data and Visualization, Geographic Information Science
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
Our new interactive map showcases the Climatological Database for the World's Oceans 1750-1850, an exciting digital acquisition of the Library of Congress.
Posted in: Big Data and Visualization, Exploration, Geography and Map Division
Posted by: Sonia Kahn
Did you know that worldwide, roughly 55 earthquakes are recorded per day? Of course, the vast majority of these seismic events are minor, making it all the more impressive that we are able to detect them. The technology used to gather data on earthquakes and seismic movements has vastly improved over time, and with it …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, 20th century cartography, 21st century cartography, Big Data and Visualization
Posted by: Meagan Snow
The end of the 19th century saw a rise in the proliferation of data visualizations alongside traditional cartography and thematic mapping. A terrific example of this type of work is Scribner’s Statistical Atlas of the United States, which “shows by graphic methods [the states’] present condition and their political, social, and industrial development.” The atlas …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, Big Data and Visualization
Posted by: Meagan Snow
Have you ever wondered how historic maps can be used with today’s modern mapping technologies? One of the ways in which analog maps can be used with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is through a process called georeferencing. Georeferencing is the process of adding digital spatial reference information to an otherwise non-spatial image. Adding spatial reference …
Posted in: Big Data and Visualization, Geographic Information Science
Posted by: Julie Stoner
You are invited to join the Library of Congress in celebrating GIS Day on Wednesday, November 18th from 1-4pm EST, with an afternoon of engaging talks and discussions on the theme of “Mapping the Pandemic Cases, Traces, and Mutations.” This presentation will premiere with closed captions on both the Library’s YouTube site and on the Library …
Posted in: Big Data and Visualization, Events, Geographic Information Science