Georeferencing of historical maps using GIS, as exemplified by the Austrian Military Surveys of Galicia

Archival maps are an invaluable source of information about the state of the geographical environment. They represent the primary research material for analysis of changes in spatial characteristics of the environment. However, a prerequisite for any reliable analysis is an accurate match between archival maps and contemporary cartographic materials and the estimation of error inherent to every match. The most effective way of achieving this nowadays is to use GIS