A WebGIS for Visualizing Historical Activities Based on Photos: The Project of Yunnan–Vietnam Railway Web Map

Kun Sang,Silvia Piovan,Giovanni Luigi Fontana

doi:10.3390/su13010419

Abstract

Historical photos have significance for historical and social studies. Especially, the introduction of Geographic Information System (GIS) and digitalized historical photos have brought more opportunities and possibilities for interdisciplinary studies and the convenience for normal citizens to participate in the landscape observation. To this aim, this paper first reviews the research related to historical photos and Open GIS, and points out the meaning of historical photos for the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway (YVR). Based on the collected data of original historical photos from archives and the fieldwork data that recorded the landscape along the railway from 2018 to 2019, a WebGIS of Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is designed and implemented with open GIS tools. All the data are processed in the QGIS as vector and raster layers and loaded in PostgreSQL as relational tables. Then, heatmaps are created indicating the density of historical activities of the railway company, the other historical photographers, and current touristic activities. Connected with the PostgreSQL database, the data are uploaded to GeoServer for more GIS functionalities. Finally, the whole system lives in a webpage, implemented in HTML and JavaScript with Leaflet, and the improved functionalities of the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway WebGIS include distance measuring, search engine, and historical information browsing. In the future, further research can be done focusing on the landscape changes along the railway and public participation during the landscape observation.

Highlights

Of Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is designed and implemented with open Geographic Information System (GIS) tools
The historical photos of Yunnan– Vietnam Railway (YVR) are regarded as the research object in this paper, and the counties containing the YVR in Yunnan are defined as the study area (Figure 2)
It first reviews the importance of historical documents in various disciplines, especially the historical photos, which are of great value in landscape and environmental research

Summary

Introduction

Of Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is designed and implemented with open GIS tools. All the data are processed in the QGIS as vector and raster layers and loaded in PostgreSQL as relational tables. Natural areas and landscapes are subject to severe shifts owing to human activities, including the agricultural/urban policies and the development of industry, population, and housing. Such changes may lead to serious consequences, such as the decline of biodiversity, deterioration of landscape and environmental quality, and a loss in the sustainable economy. Historical documents play a significant role in this process [2] Historical documents, such as historical paintings, maps, photographs, and manuscripts, usually involve intellectual contents and knowledge for scientists and normal people, whose loss can result in an impoverishment of the common assets of human beings [3]. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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