GeoCensus and Map View

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Already in 2006, the Census data­base offered loca­tion mapping on Google Maps as a TELOTA ‘Initia­tive of the Month’ pilot scheme. Since January, 2011, the map-based feature (GeoCensus) has been an inte­grated part of the data­base. At the same time, an option was added to display search results on Google Maps (Map View). The programming of this new compo­nent was made possible by finan­cial support from the ‘Topoi’ excel­lence cluster. 

Archaeo­lo­gists or art histo­rians rese­ar­ching the clas­sical tradi­tion can now gain new perspec­tives, in parti­cular on the fate of ‘mobile’ antique monu­ments in the Renais­sance. For example, antique sculp­tures which are scat­tered in museums and coll­ec­tions around the world can be traced back to the places of their disco­very. Those rese­ar­ching coll­ec­tions of anti­ques can create a graphic visua­li­sa­tion of the move­ment of objects between coll­ec­tions of diffe­rent fami­lies, or between locations.

Users can create a map-based over­view of the geogra­phic distri­bu­tion of post-antique sources, or of the places of birth and death of indi­vi­duals named in the data­base. The GeoCensus offers a comple­tely new way for rese­ar­chers and the general public to access the mate­rial stored in the data­base. Without follo­wing a specific, prede­fined query, users can display monu­ments, docu­ments and indi­vi­duals on a Google map.

Current Monu­ment Loca­tion and Former Monu­ment Loca­tion, Obelisk of the Iseum Capense. Map data © 2021 GeoBasis-DE/BKG (©2009), Google Images © 2021 TerraMetrics

GeoCensus

Using a single checkbox or a combi­na­tion of Check­boxes, all of the loca­tions in the cate­go­ries ‘Current Monu­ment Loca­tions’ (dark blue), ‘Former Monu­ment Loca­tions’ (light blue), ‘Docu­ment Loca­tions’ (red), ‘Place of Birth’ (yellow) and ‘Place of Death’ (orange) can be visua­lised in Google Maps.

The loca­tions are shown on the map with coloured loca­tion markers. Each marker opens up a ‘speech bubble’ contai­ning the name of the loca­tion and the asso­ciated monu­ments, Renais­sance sources or people appear as clickable links, so that free navi­ga­tion through all parts of the Census data­base is possible using map view.

Map View

When sear­ching in the cate­go­ries ‘Antique Monu­ments’, ‘Post-Antique Docu­ments’, ‘Person’ and ‘Loca­tion’, one can select the option ‘Map View’ in addi­tion to the usual viewing options (‘Tree’, ‘List’ and ‘Mini’). This makes it possible to display the results of simple and nested search queries in these cate­go­ries in Google maps.

Loca­tions are shown on the maps with markers of diffe­rent colours. Clicking on the markers opens up speech bubbles, which contain the loca­tion and the names of the asso­ciated monu­ments, Renais­sance sources or indi­vi­duals as clickable links.