New demands on old maps – An approach for estimating aspects of accuracy of old maps as basis for landscape development research

Abstract

Increasing amount of digitised old maps results in new opportunities of spatial comparison of habitats, landscape structural elements and landscape types. But, a question arises: How far one can stretch such interpretation? In this paper we discuss aspects which should be kept in mind when using information from old maps. But even new geo-data present not the ‘real world’ in any case as they suggests them self. Examples will be presented from frequently used historical maps of the German region Vorpommern like the Swedish Matrikel maps or the Meßtischblatt as well as from recent or actual maps. We focus on the consequences of using old maps for modern interpretations and illustrate keep-in-minds and limits using these valuable sources of information.