New Technology Puts Old Irish Maps To Use

Back in 1837, Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) began mapping the country, ultimately producing handrawn maps of the entire country. These maps, drawn at a scale of 6 inches to a mile, were etched in reverse on copper plate, printed in gray scale and then hand colored. Now after three years of work, ESRI Ireland, a geographical information systems firm working for the OSI has taken these historic maps and joined them together seamlessly. The ultimate goal is to make them available online.

The project will allow users to simply enter the name of a county and townland and be shown layers of historic maps of the area. Initially, the maps will be available at libraries in Ireland. A world-wide launch is planned for 2006.

Complete Article from Silicon Republic.