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Swiss Historical Maps Allow Journey Through Time In Your Browser

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-dinosaurs-i-checked dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Swiss Federal Office of Topography has published a complete set of digitized historical maps from 1938 to 2011. The twist: a browser application allows you to create a time travel movie at any place in Switzerland for any zoom level. As an example, you can see the recession of Europe's biggest glacier over the last 75 years. The application is the most recent effort of the Swiss Government to make geodata freely available to the public at no cost using open source software and will include maps dating as far back as 1838."

32 comments

  1. A glass darkly by Shamanin · · Score: 1

    EOM

    --
    come on fhqwhgads
  2. Google Maps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've always wished Google Maps would add another slider that lets you scroll back to previous satellite images of the same area.

    1. Re:Google Maps by hammeraxe · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is possible in Google Earth, it is a really neat feature. For some areas they have imagery that dates back to the 80s.

      For instance, you can check naval bases and see which aircraft carriers have been in at certain times. Or, more mundane, just look at how your neighbourhood/city has expanded/changed over the years.

    2. Re:Google Maps by mikael · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Extend that to photographs and postcards. I've seen postcards of villages from 90 years ago, and they haven't changed. The most haunting one was to see pictures of the shop-owners and their children. The shops and homes were the same with minor modifications. But it was so strange to realize that none of those people were around any more.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    3. Re:Google Maps by hduff · · Score: 1

      This capability is going to be fantastic when applied to Slashdot so we can see it when it was good and compare it to now.

      --
      "I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
  3. Fantastic Idea by Unknown1337 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The implications this could have for history records and documenting future changing is amazing. The idea of making this information public domain and easily accessible could drive both knowledge of the country and maybe broaden the understanding of time's effect on landscape, etc. with a huge visual impact.

  4. 1838? 1938? Which is it? by fotoguzzi · · Score: 1

    1838 would seem to be wrong, but maybe someone should check the article and write a summary on it.

    --
    Their they're doing there hair.
    1. Re:1838? 1938? Which is it? by athmanb · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's 1938 so far, they have much older maps that they're still working on. 1838 was the year the first full-country map of Switzerland was published.

    2. Re:1838? 1938? Which is it? by fotoguzzi · · Score: 1

      Thanks. That would have been a better summary than what we have, I think.

      --
      Their they're doing there hair.
    3. Re:1838? 1938? Which is it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or the "editor" could have done that.

    4. Re:1838? 1938? Which is it? by NemoinSpace · · Score: 0

      look asshole, if the editor can't even edit numbers, I'm sure not going to trust his .html abilities.

  5. CERN Evolving by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 5, Interesting

    IF you want to see the evolution of the CERN particle physics lab this this link. You can see the construction of some of the early accelerators (PS and ISR) which were in buildings (PS) or a large circular raised embankment (ISR). However the more modern accelerators you can only detect by the construction of new surface buildings (look for the ATLAS and LHC magnet assembly buildings appearing across the road from the main site towards the end.

  6. I have an idea by Tokolosh · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can this system be patented: Not criminalizing people for liberating data because is it already free?

    I know that Switzerland has very clever patent clerks.

    --
    Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
    1. Re:I have an idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know that Switzerland has very clever patent clerks.

      Just the one, and that ingrate quit after only 6 years. The nerve!

  7. They tried this in Japan once by Dwedit · · Score: 0

    They tried showing historical maps in Japan once. They overlaid them on top of current maps.
    It only led to people attempting to revive a caste system and discrimination.

  8. Re:Well grab the popcorn! by denvergeek · · Score: 1

    Or if you're a geology nerd. Glaciers are cool on many levels, not all of them involving hippies.

  9. Bah developers suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    It doesn't work in IE 6. Can they fix it by the end of the day?

    Sincerely, PHB

    1. Re:Bah developers suck by Pascal+Sartoretti · · Score: 1

      No, make it an ActiveX, so that it also works in IE 5.5

    2. Re:Bah developers suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's tested with IE7 onwards and should work in about every other browser, too. Fortunately nowaday there's no need anymore to bother about IE6.

      Try Firefox, Chrome or IE9 for a really smooth animation.

  10. Unless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >> browser application allows you to create a time travel movie ...unless you're using Opera, apparently.

  11. IE 6 ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the 90's called they want YOUR browser back

    1. Re:IE 6 ? by uglyMood · · Score: 1

      Whoosh!

      --
      "No matter where you go, there you probably are." -- Buckaroo Heisenberg
    2. Re:IE 6 ? by uglyMood · · Score: 1

      Perhaps I was too harsh. PHB is an acronym for "Pointy Haired Boss." Although someone reading Slashdot and not getting a Dilbert reference...

      Whoosh!

      --
      "No matter where you go, there you probably are." -- Buckaroo Heisenberg
  12. Old by sycodon · · Score: 1

    You know you are getting old when records from 1938 are "Historical".

    Historical, that's from the 1800s...not a mere lifetime ago.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Old by Unknown1337 · · Score: 1

      Historical by definition is "concerning history; belonging to the past, not the present." which would make anything that happened yesterday (or even an hour ago for that matter) historical. Obviously the longer the range, the more useful/applicable this information becomes, but even this initial availability will be able to teach many people new things. To put a finer point on it, many things have happened more recently than 1938 that are considered to be 'historical'. For example: World War II, Sputnik Satellite launched, etc.

    2. Re:Old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bah!

    3. Re:Old by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1

      Mod parent +1: Humbug

      --
      Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  13. Google Maps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This capability is going to be fantastic when applied to Google satellite and street view images.

    Fantastic!

  14. I must conclude by SpaghettiPattern · · Score: 1

    I must conclude that I live in the most boring place on earth. In a radius of 5km from my house, not a single dot changed since 1938. (And no, transitions from monochrome to colour don't really count.)

    --

    I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
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