Digital Map Library of the Canary Islands

The quality of the Map Libraries is obvious and the expert’s access to the cartographic funds (metadata and images) is a constant aim of the scientific task. However, it is sometimes arduous due to the dispersion of maps in the various museums, libraries and collections. Historians and documentary experts need to access remotely to every existing information, that can be compiled in a single place to facilitate the access and comparison. In the same way, it would be possible to avoid the direct manipulation of some delicate maps. Nowadays, there are technical possibilities allowing the digitization of the information that may be filed in a high quality format. Besides, it is possible its world-wide-web cataloguing according to the standard form ISO19115. The images generated will be visualized by different searching systems, with the accuracy and use limitations decided by the owner of the information. All of them, using a WMS structure (Web Map Service) according to the OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) Specifications, with a web client and a metadata server included. The purpose of this project is the creation of a Digital Map Library, or just a website that includes an historical maps server from the Canary Islands from different funds. It is possible to interactively visualize all the printed cartography before the 20 century, as well as its metadata information in the Map Library using different search methods. The Canary Islands are a geographical region suitable for carrying out this application, as its border limits are defined by natural elements. In this way, the application facilitates the local study of the geometrical distortions of the border lines by the simultaneous overlap of the historical maps within them, and with the current ones (the warping effects of the Geographic Information).