LinkingHistoricalMapstotheUSCShoahFoundationVisualHistoryArchive

TheVisualHistoryArchive(VHA)intheUSCShoahFoundationcontainsalargecollectionofdigitallifestoriesofsurvivorsbefore,during,andaftertheHolocaustandothergenocides• videointerviewsofthesurvivors• interviewtranscripts

• Project Website[http://spatial-computing.github.io/]

The STEP format Relations to Model Intent ExamplesSinceplacenamesandadministrationboundariescanchangesignificantlyovertime,• displayingsearchresultsonacurrentmap doesnotprovidethebestvisualization

tool• anumberplacesmentionedinthetestimonycannotbelocatedduetothelackof

historicalsourcesforverifyingthelocationinformationoftheseplaces

Thislimitstheopportunityfor:• researchers,educators,andthegeneralpublictoaccessvaluableVHAmaterials• preventstheVHAcollectionfrombeingindexedandsearchedbyadvancedspatial

queries(e.g.,findingthetestimoniesmentionedcitiesortownsinPolandbetween1930and1945).

Problem Statement

Linking Historical Maps to VHA: Preliminary Investigation and Future Work

https://sfi.usc.edu/vha

Locationinformation(e.g.,placenames)mentionedintheVHAisindexedbykeywords

Forexample,using“Poland”asthekeywordforplacesearchontheVHAOnlinereturns:5,325indexingtermsinwhichtheindexingterms(placenames)withverifiedlocationsaredisplayedinaGoogleMapswebinterface

Indexingtermsthatdonothaveaverifiedlocation

Background

Historicalmapsareagreatsourceofdetailedplaceinformationinthepastwithacomprehensivelistofplacenamesincludingtowns,manufacturing plants,monuments,etc.• TheUSArmyMapService(AMS)createdaround40,000mapscoveringa

significantamountoftheearth• Othermapsourcesprovidedetailedhistoricalpre- andpost-WWIImaps,such

asthePolishmappingcompany,CentrumKartografii,whichofferspre-WWIImapsofPoland

• Thesehistoricalmapsareineitherpaperorscannedformatinmaparchives• theDavidRumseyMapCollection• theUSCLibraries,UCLAMapLibraries,WesternMichiganLibraries,and

theLibraryofCongress

WiththehelpoftheUSCUndergraduateResearchAssociatesProgram,ourundergraduateresearchersAndrewHsu,RobinFranke,andAlexChentookVHAtestimoniesofHolocaustandRwandangenocidesurvivors,andlinktheirstoriestohistoricalmapsfoundonlineandinthelibraries(http://spatial-computing.github.io/#projects)• Theresultsarespatiallyenabledjournalsthatprovideavividcontext

ofthepersonallifeofthegenocidesurvivors• AllowtheVHAstoriestobeindexedandsearchedbymoredetailed

spatialkeywords• Weplantoextendthisworktobuildautomaticapproachesthatfind

andlinkhistoricalmapstoVHAdigitalmaterials

Budapestina1:250,000AMSmap(compiledin1955byAMSusingHungary1:50,000datasetsof1928-44).

Yao-YiChiang andYijun LinSpatialComputingLaboratory,SpatialSciencesInstitute,UniversityofSouthern California