Civil War Maps and Overlaying Moder Roads

[mlutz]

I have been trying to overlay modern roads on Civil War maps I find on the internet and I am having some problems getting them to work. Has anyone mastered this? If so, I could use some advice.

I copy the old maps I find on the internet and them look up the area on Google maps. However, when I try to paste the overlay of the modern roads, it distorts the older maps. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

What graphics program are you using to create the overlays? I would use a graphics program like photoshop. There is one at gimp.org that is free and is rather powerful.

Paste the two images into two different layers and then modify the transparency of the upper layer. That should keep them separate and not cause any distortion to the lower layers image.

The trick is then to get the image size correct so they match up, but I suppose if you have good landmarks that should be pretty easy.

 

[mlutz]

I am using Picasa. That may be my first problem. I am not sure. Another issue I am having is actually copying Google maps. I can print them all day long, but it wont let me directly copy them. Anyway, I will keep tinkering with it. I do not have Photoshop on this computer.

 

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

There is another solution for your copy problem. Another free software Greenshot Downloads is really good at taking custom screenshots. You press printscreen and then draw a box on what you want to capture. Then you can copy the capture and paste to Gimp. Then create new layer, paste in the other image and then modify that top layers transparency.

You'll get something like this:



The size can be really tough to matchup, but depending on the mapmakers skill you may be able to pinpoint objects, or at least get in the right area.

Good luck in your hunt!

 

[mlutz]

Even if I don't figure it out perfectly, I still have the separate maps and can make landmark judgments and distance SWAGs. I was just trying to make it one stop shopping and look a little nicer. I may have to consult my Girlfriend who is a Guru on computers. I bet she would have had it figured out by now! Me= Strong like bull, smart like dump truck!

 

[Chadeaux]

... or you could get a good copy of your map and overlay it on Google earth. You can adjust the map until it matches by doing the following:

- Pick at least three points on your old map that still exist. Match those with the same points in Google Earth. This will require both resizing and rotating the map.

- Using Google Earth, get the GPS coordinates of the area of interest and put it in the waypoints of your hand held GPS. Give it a name you remember and let the GPS guide you there.

- Don't get too discouraged if the old map was inaccurate ... they were limited by their tools and experience. You will need boots on the ground to verify the accuracy or lack thereof.

Again, remember, that the old maps are not perfect. You will get close, but it likely won't be perfect.

The proper name of the process is "Ground Truthing".

 

[mlutz]

... or you could get a good copy of your map and overlay it on Google earth. You can adjust the map until it matches by doing the following:

- Pick at least three points on your old map that still exist. Match those with the same points in Google Earth. This will require both resizing and rotating the map.

- Using Google Earth, get the GPS coordinates of the area of interest and put it in the waypoints of your hand held GPS. Give it a name you remember and let the GPS guide you there.


- Don't get too discouraged if the old map was inaccurate ... they were limited by their tools and experience. You will need boots on the ground to verify the accuracy or lack thereof.

Again, remember, that the old maps are not perfect. You will get close, but it likely won't be perfect.

The proper name of the process is "Ground Truthing".

I fully understand the accuracy issues with old maps and typically can find at least two landmarks that have not changed so I can get a fair alignment/overlay. The distortion piece is still kicking my backside though. Honestly I can get by with just looking at a modern map and taking a SWAG at position using the older maps. This is more of a research tool for me to better acquaint myself with the land and being able to maintain basic Cardinal Direction. It is probably me being partially anal about some things and always having a good plan when navigating...

Thanks for the correction in term. "Ground Truthing" I had not heard that term before....... Old Dog Learns New Trick!!!

 

[Beshires1]

I use google earth. I find old maps such as a 1955 topo or A cival war map of the area I'm interested in. Then I open google earth and add the map as a overlay to google earths satellite image . You can click on the center of the overlay and move it to the location it matches. use the corners to shrink the overlay to make it larger or smaller try to place known landmarks as close as possible to the satellite image. Hand drawn cival war era maps will not align up precisely on a satellite image, but you can get them pretty close. The 1955 toppo maps can be aligned more closly and will help you locate old house sites by the black dots on the toppo. I simply add a placemark after zooming in on a target house you can then click off the overlay andsee the houses location on google earths satellite image. *Advice* before adding a overlay click on image header and click correct tilt and compass.

 

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