by Marco van Egmond. Map Curator, Utrecht University Library

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Collecting digital cartographic data inCollecting digital cartographic data in
Utrecht: storage and accessibilityUtrecht: storage and accessibility
Marco van EgmondMarco van Egmond
Map Curators’ Group of theMap Curators’ Group of the
British Cartographic Society, Cambridge 2010British Cartographic Society, Cambridge 2010

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Cartographic documentsCartographic documents
in digital formatin digital format
• Increasing number;
born-digital +
scanned digital
images:
– Floppy disks
– CDs/DVDs
– Internet
Growing ‘virtual’
collection:
Role of the map
librarian?

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Content of the paperContent of the paper
I. Various forms of digital cartographic
data
II. Archiving and accessibility in Utrecht
III. Problems and restrictions
IV. Future developments and solutions

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Content of the paperContent of the paper
I. Various forms of digital cartographic
data
II. Archiving and accessibility in Utrecht
III. Problems and restrictions
IV. Future developments and solutions

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Floppy disks
• CDs/DVDs

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Maps from the internet
– Examples: Zorgatlas National Institute for Public Health
and the Environment (RIVM); portals of provinces

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Maps from the internet
– Examples: Social atlases Almere, Steenwijkerland

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Maps from the
internet
– Browse and search:
• Oddens’ Bookmarks
• Google Images
• Map History/History
of Cartography
• Digmap
• Google Maps <->
Google Books

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Disadvantages with maps from the internet
– ‘Dead’ links
– Volatile character of the data/sites
• Utrecht: downloading files on special server
– Ready-to-use
– Durable storage

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Digitized analogue
maps
– Recent maps,
usually copyrighted
– Files on server only
for education and
research purposes

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Forms of digital cartographic dataForms of digital cartographic data
• Cartographic
databases
(f.i. Topographical
Survey)

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Content of the paperContent of the paper
I. Various forms of digital cartographic
data
II. Archiving and accessibility in Utrecht
III. Problems and restrictions
IV. Future developments and solutions

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Preservation and accessibilityPreservation and accessibility
• Central storage
of data
• Approach and
management
from a distance
• Consultation in
a.o. the map
library

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Preservation ofPreservation of
floppydisks and CDs/DVDsfloppydisks and CDs/DVDs
• Floppydisks ->
VFD files
• CDs/DVDs ->
ISO files
• Files on server:
readable
through Virtual
PC software

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Content of the paperContent of the paper
I. Various forms of digital cartographic
data
II. Archiving and accessibility in Utrecht
III. Problems and restrictions
IV. Future developments and solutions

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Problems and restrictions accessibilityProblems and restrictions accessibility
• Surpassed
analogue
collection
• 250.000 digital
files
• simple geographic
and thematic file
structure:
– Continent >
Country > Theme

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Problems and restrictions accessibilityProblems and restrictions accessibility

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Problems and restrictions accessibilityProblems and restrictions accessibility

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Problems and restrictions accessibilityProblems and restrictions accessibility

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Problems and restrictionsProblems and restrictions
• Legal implications
– Agreements with copyright owners
– Home copies ≠ publishing
– Preservation copies
• Disadvantageous position online electronic
library
• ‘Opt out’ solution?

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Content of the paperContent of the paper
I. Various forms of digital cartographic
data
II. Archiving and accessibility in Utrecht
III. Problems and restrictions
IV. Future developments and solutions

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Future developments and solutionsFuture developments and solutions
• Local initiatives:
– Geoloket, Delft
– Geodesk, Wageningen
• National level:
– Geoloketten
• Cooperation?
• Possibillities for
cataloguing?

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Future developments and solutionsFuture developments and solutions
• Central storage of
data on a national
or international
level
• Cataloguing by
participating
institutes
• Netherlands:
Archives, Royal
Library, DANS
• UK: Edina

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Future developments and solutionsFuture developments and solutions
• Changing role of map librarian and map collection
– Information manager
– Map collections junctions in cartographic information
supply
– Collection and archiving of digital cartographic data task
of a map library
– Cataloguing of the data deserves national or
international effort
– Better legal conditions

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Future developments and solutionsFuture developments and solutions

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Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!
Collecting digital cartographic data inCollecting digital cartographic data in
Utrecht: storage and accessibilityUtrecht: storage and accessibility