From Paper to Digital: Bringing paper based property maps into the digital age

The History of Creating Paper Maps
Surveying has played a vital role in state building and the development of orderly human societies since the earliest written records. Paper maps and surveys have improved government administration, navigation, and our understanding of property boundaries and rights. With the earliest known evidence of surveying dating back to Ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets, surveying technology has continuously evolved.   

 

Entering the Digital Age

With the advent of computerization, GPS, remote sensing, data processing algorithms, and handheld devices, surveying and land administration has moved into the digital age. And with this transition comes many improvements. Computer technology has made the storage, processing, analysis, and display of spatial information faster and more accurate. However, this transition requires that many paper maps be converted to digital maps. One way is to do this is by georeferencing paper maps.

 

Georeferencing Maps with QGIS

Georeferencing is the process of assigning real-world coordinates to the pixels of a scanned paper map. The process can at first feel a bit daunting, but rest assured, we at Cadasta have plenty of experience with it and are here to guide you through the process.

Follow our step-by-step instructions for digitizing your paper maps. Good luck!

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