Description
Incorporating additional artifacts such as maps is essential to fully unlock the Dutch East India Company's (VOC) vast paper archives (1605-1799). While letters, reports, and ledgers offer historical insights, identifying the toponyms they mention proves challenging due to shifting place names.The GLOBALISE project tackles this challenge by connecting the massive textual corpus of VOC archives with colonial maps, thereby enhancing the understanding and interpretation of these spatial references in the written archives. This approach involves three layers, each resulting in a set of web annotations that are combined according to the IIIF Presentation standard:
1. Georeferencing using the Allmaps tool, superimposing the early modern view of colonies onto modern maps.
2. Detecting toponyms by recognizing and transcribing labels from maps, and linking them to places mentioned in written archives and external resources.
3. Classifying geospatial iconography such as icons and symbols representing settlements, plantations, and more, advancing our understanding of the early modern Dutch colonial view of the world.
By weaving together text and maps, GLOBALISE allows researchers to better interpret spatial references in archival documents, and thus better understand (Dutch) colonial history and its impact on geopolitics. Publishing its enrichments via IIIF standards ensures open access and collaboration.
| Period | 05 Jun 2024 |
|---|---|
| Event title | IIIF Annual Conference and Showcase 2024 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Los Angeles, United StatesShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- IIIF
- Global history
- Historical maps
- Dutch East India Company (VOC)
- Colonial History