Research project P4S/251/ATLAS2-0 (Research action P4S)
Historical maps constitute a crucial source for research into the evolution of cultural and natural landscapes. Belgian archives contain an exceptionally rich collection, partly because the region has been an important center of map production since the 16th century. In particular, map and land registers are distinguished by the fact that they contain not only visual representations of landscapes, but also complementary textual information, such as ownership data, parcel size, and land use. This combination makes them particularly valuable compared to individual maps, which are often separated from their context and are therefore less informative.
Despite their potential, map registers remain underused in interdisciplinary research. This is partly due to their limited accessibility and the complexity of their (digital) processing. Researchers therefore tend to rely more frequently on more uniform map series, such as the Ferraris maps. As a result, less well-known and often older maps remain underexplored.
ATLAS 2.0 - coordinated by the State Archives of Belgium and carried out in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, Ghent University, and the National Geographic Institute (NGI) - aims to address this gap by: (1) creating a more centralized inventory of map registers from the State Archives; (2) developing AI pipelines for the (semi-)automatic extraction of information from non-standardized maps; (3) employing citizen science for the geolocation of both maps and derived data; (4) linking these data to the Belgian Historical Gazetteer; (5) making the project’s results and tools openly accessible for further research and (6) formulating recommendations for future developments.
