Archives of hard copy maps are a rich source of geographic data. However, as geographic science migrates to digital formats, these maps often sit in drawers unused. By scanning these maps and managing them using mosaic datasets, they can again be used, analyzed, and shared.
Any type of paper scientific paper map that is scanned to digital format can be counted as a scanned map. These include scanned historical maps, CADRG maps, topographic maps, engineering maps, and bathymetric maps, among others.
The Managing Scanned Maps workflow offers tools and best practices for managing scanned versions of hard-copy maps in ArcGIS using mosaic datasets.
Example use cases
Scanned maps are commonly useful for providing historical context and aiding in land resource management, navigation, and city planning, among other applications.
Check out the next section to learn more about preparing your data before using the Managing Scanned Maps workflow.