Georeference a Historical Map

Historical maps (and aerial photos!) can reveal what the world used to look like before modern infrastructure was built and natural events altered the course of rivers or changed where people could live. In this workshop you will learn how to:

  • Find historical maps and photos online
  • Georeference maps and photos using QGIS
  • Identify high-quality ground control points
  • Manage the data for a georeferencing project

This workshop is geared toward folks with a basic understanding of GIS concepts. If you need help getting started with QGIS, check out the Learn the Basics of QGIS tutorial first.


Watch the workshop

Click the links below to watch recordings of this workshop on YouTube:

Part 1 of the workshop: core concepts – April 7, 2021
Part 2 of the workshop: quick demo – April 7, 2021


Workshop outline

This workshop is designed to take about two hours as a live demonstration.

Time Topic
0:00 Introduction
0:05 Basics of georeferencing
0:20 Georeferencing using an online tool
0:40 Q&A
0:55 Break
1:00 Advanced georeferencing concepts
1:20 QGIS georeferencing demonstration
1:40 Q&A
1:55 Wrap-up

If you are working through the materials on your own time, it may take a bit longer!