The digital street map files were created using the Map Library's digitized and georeferenced historical air photo collection. Using ArcGIS, library staff carefully depicted all the streets and trails in the 1955 photos and superimposed a GIS street file from 2010. Where streets were not present in the photos, the modern street file was altered to remove the streets. If a street in the air photo had a different length or shape, the modern street file was modified again to re-construct the street network of 1955.
Street names were assigned to the street files by checking against a georeferenced 1955 Kitchener and Waterloo city map [City of Kitchener and Waterloo. Toronto, Ontario: GRAPHIC PUBLISHERS (Canada), 1955]
Shapefiles were then created to highlight findings of particular interest. KML files were also created and were uploaded in ArcGIS Explorer to create the digital maps made available on this website. The GIS data and KML files are available for download from the GIS Data link from the top menu.
This project could not have been completed without the hard work and dedication of Steve Xu and a number of casual staff at the Map Library.
Please email any questions, comments or suggestions to :
Eva Dodsworth, Geospatial Data Services Librarian
University Map Library, 2011