Using GIS to map rail network history

Abstract

Geographical information systems are powerful tools for recording, analysing, and displaying spatial phenomena and their relations. They are widely used for mapping and studying current situations and problems, but they can also be used by historians to map past conditions and changes. This article describes the development of a GIS-based historical database covering the extensive rail network in the Kanto region around Tokyo. Issues of data sources, database design, and methods of representing the rail network in computerised form are addressed. Examples are given of how the database can then be used for mapping and interpretation. Although its creation is time-consuming, the result is a spatial history database that can be rapidly and efficiently analysed to reveal various aspects of the history of a rail network.