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Austro-Hungarian Map Set Data Package

This dataset and documentation together make up the Austro-Hungarian Map Set Data Package. The data comprises scans and georeferenced images of maps surveying the Austro-Hungarian empire from approximately 1875 to shortly after its collapse in 1918.

historic map of 19th century Austria-Hungary

About this dataset

About: This experimental dataset contains 4,998 images in TIFF format representing non-georeferenced map sheets and corresponding GeoTIFF formatted images that are georeferenced, and have had the map collars (non-map portions of the image at the edge of the sheet) removed.

Source collection: The historical maps contained in this dataset were initially prepared and issued by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy's Militärgeographisches Institut beginning around 1875, as part of its Third Military Survey. The survey included several scales, including the 1:75,000 scale, or "Spezialkarte" maps, included in this dataset. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, parts of the set were continued by successive governments.

This set is cataloged and managed by the Library of Congress as a single map set, under the title from its early editions: Spezialkarte der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie. It is often colloquially referred to as the "Austro-Hungarian map set."

These scans and georeferenced images were produced as part of an experimental 6-month project in 2015, under the Library's former GIS Research Fellows program. The original project was known as the Geographic Hot Spot Dynamic Indexing Project. It was managed by John Hessler, Specialist in Computational Geography & Geographic Information Science in the Geography and Map Division, and included the work of four fellows: Amanda Brioshe, Erin Kelly, Evan Neuwirth, and Michael Schoelen. The goal of the project was to develop and test enhanced workflows for georeferencing map sets at scale. This georeferenced set was one of the many produced during the course of that project, and has not previously been made public.

The Geography and Map Division is currently revisiting the products of this and other experimental georeferencing workflow projects.

Link to image on the right: https://www.loc.gov/item/2018588019/ .

What's included?

The data package includes:

  • Several subdirectories:
    • "sheets_img" containing 4,998 non-georeferenced map sheet images. (TIFF image format)
    • "sheets_geo" containing 4,877 georeferenced map sheets, with the map collars removed. (GeoTIFF image format)
    • "index_img" containing 3 index map sheet images. (TIFF image format)
    • "index_shapefile" containing 4 files making up a single "shapefile" that represents the georeferenced tiffs. (shapefile format)
    • "legend_img" containing 3 legend sheet images. (TIFF image format)
  • metadata.csv: a CSV with basic metadata
  • manifest.txt: a text file listing the image id, MD5 hash, and location of the images in the data set
  • README.md: technical overview of the dataset's structure and how it was created
  • Data cover sheet: a more substantive overview of the data and the collection from which it is derived

Rights Statement

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in this map set. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. The determination of the status of an item ultimately rests with the person desiring to reproduce or use the item.

Creator and Contributor Information

Scans and georeferenced images created by John Hessler, Amanda Brioshe, Erin Kelly, Evan Neuwirth, and Michael Schoelen

README creators and contributors: Rachel Trent, Meagan Snow; Diane Schug-O'Neill, John Hessler, Sundeep Mahendra, Eileen J. Manchester, Chase Dooley

Cover sheet creators and contributors: Rachel Trent; Meagan Snow, Diane Schug-O'Neill, Mike Klein, Seanna Tsung, Sundeep Mahendra, Eileen J. Manchester, Chase Dooley

Download the data

Download the digitized and georeferenced map sheets

To bulk download the following files, please email [email protected] or consult the dataset's manifest.

  • 4,998 non-georeferenced map sheet images. (TIFF image format) (538.3 GB)
  • 4,877 georeferenced map sheets, with the map collars removed. (GeoTIFF image format) (524.5 GB)
  • 3 index map sheet images. (TIFF image format) (695.4 MB)
  • An index_shapefile containing 4 files making up a single "shapefile" that represents the georeferenced tiffs. (shapefile format) (8.0 MB)
  • A file titled "legend_img" containing 3 legend sheet images. (TIFF image format) (464.1 MB)

Download the documentation

Download the metadata

Questions and Feedback

For curatorial questions about the content of the collection or technical questions about the dataset formats and composition, please contact the Geography and Map Division via the Library's Ask a Librarian service at https://ask.loc.gov/map-geography.

For questions about download and access, please email the LC Labs Team at [email protected].