Cultural Resources GIS Program, NPS

11/09/2021

Maps That Put The World In Perspective

Looking for something to do while you are on a break today? Check out these fun maps that may make you say..."huh!"
https://www.factable.com/history/maps-that-show-us-a-new-perspective/24/?utm_source=fz&utm_campaign=23848661716540768-23848661716680768-fz&utm_medium=18%2B-fz&utm_content=23848661716830768-fz&utm_term=blank&fbclid=IwAR3FiQSJ2Dx29GIC2cUzMZbH4dgNdARkKcoBwmUPrRhN_AsZHsN5_XaeSiU&chrome=1&A1c=1&D3c=1&D4c=1&D_4_6cALL=1&D_4_6_10cALL=1&D5c=1&A5c=1&D6c=1&D7c=1&D10c=1&D_10_20cALL=1&A10c=1&D15c=1

These maps shed light on the true scope of things and may even help you obtain a more worldly perspective.

11/03/2021

Mapping the Rainforests of Britain

We don't usually think of rainforests in Britain, but check out this article: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mapping-britain-endangered-rainforests
Does this sound familiar: “Knowing where the rainforests are is a crucial part of knowing how to save them.” Substitute "cultural resources" for "rainforests" and now we are talking!!

The rainy island is home to some of the world's most diverse woodlands—but they are rapidly disappearing.

10/29/2021

It's now easier to send Cultural Resources GIS Program, NPS a message.

It's now easier to send Cultural Resources GIS Program, NPS a message.

10/29/2021

It's now easier to send Cultural Resources GIS Program, NPS a message.

It's now easier to send Cultural Resources GIS Program, NPS a message.

10/28/2021

DNA reveals origins of enigmatic mummies buried in a Chinese desert

Did you see this?? It is that time of year for mummies and such, but this is a really cool discovery. Not just the site, but the lineage of these folks is fascinating!
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/asia/mummies-tarim-basin-china-scn/index.html

Since their discovery, the ancestry of hundreds of mummified bodies buried in boats in an inhospitable desert region of northwest China has divided archaeologists.

10/21/2021

Ghost stories scare up new life at these historic hotels

it's getting to be that time of year....check out these ghost stories in historic hotels! If only they had a MAP of them, right?
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/ghost-stories-scare-up-new-life-at-historic-hotels

From “The Shining” resort in Colorado to an inn with a zombie cat in New York, these ‘rooms with a boo’ offer up local lore and legends.

10/14/2021

Mapping the Ghostly Traces of Abandoned Railroads

We have mapped our share of railroads and rail features...but check out this web app of abandoned railroads!! Pretty cool to see them all...that's a lot of work!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mapping-ghostly-traces-abandoned-railroads-interactive-crowdsourced-atlas

An interactive, crowdsourced atlas plots vanished transit routes.

10/06/2021

Hidden in the Landscape: The Unique Architectural Heritage of Icelandic Turf Houses

Looking for a "green" house? Check these out...historic, green, and all natural, right?
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/turf-houses-0011004?fbclid=IwAR2Gx5qapkhZfy5O0dK12T-vu5y3GYbBsXjzjyery8ZQNtKRs71c7YGgjxs

Turf houses are a distinctive type of dwelling found in Iceland with origins dating back to the 9th century AD, which are attributed to the country’s Nordic settlers.

10/01/2021

The Remains of Hell Point

Looking for something to do this weekend? Try a visit to our neighbor! Check out this "place of the day!"
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/site-of-hell-point

Just outside the Naval Academy, Hell Point is a historical marker that could easily be the point where failed students wait for the bus.

09/27/2021

Analysis unlocks secret of the Vinland Map — it’s a fake

Another fake map!
https://news.yale.edu/2021/09/01/analysis-unlocks-secret-vinland-map-its-fake?fbclid=IwAR1JsU3uWPw9beF5zPnKebOFOBuZnmVLqQDgs5tk0cqY0ls_57YZ5CfflB4

Yale conservators and conservation scientists have found that the map, once hailed as the earliest depiction of the New World, is awash in 20th-century ink.

09/24/2021

Fossilized footprints show humans made it to North America much earlier than first thought

OK...so, technically not "map related" but we don't get chances to praise the NPS on important new discoveries all the time. This one is really impressive however!!! Cultural resources in the form of footprints...in a PARK!!
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/americas/footprints-humans-arrive-in-north-america-scn/index.html

North and South America were the last continents to be settled by humans, but exactly when that started is a topic that has divided archaeologists.

09/23/2021

The Mysterious Discovery of a Continent That Wasn't There

Remember that time that you "discovered" a new continent, but it might not have really been there? Ya...that seems like a typical Thursday thing.....maybe if you just put it on a map, it will all be ok, right?
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/crocker-land-peary-arctic-continent?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=SpecialEdition_Escape_20210922::rid=4D175F91FFEA14AD01504C8654562DFF

Robert Peary claimed he discovered a new land mass in the Arctic. Was he lying?

09/15/2021

Europe’s oldest map shows tiny Bronze Age kingdom

Looking for historic maps? Check out this one....kind of amazing! Seems like it might be hard to geo-reference....
https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/europes-oldest-map

Discovered in 1900, the Saint-Bélec slab languished unrecognized in a castle basement for over a century.

09/03/2021

Major Disasters | Smithsonian Institution Cultural Rescue Initiative

The amount of misery as a result of Ida doesn't seem to end! We are thinking of our friends in the northeast who are suffering now. We work with the Heritage Emergency National Task Force and they have lots of resources for those impacted by this storm!!!
https://culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf/major-disasters/

Although few events rise to the level of a Presidential disaster declaration, when such an event occurs, the response and recovery efforts from the local level to the federal level are complex and challenging. The President can declare a major disaster for any natural or man-made event – such as a...

08/30/2021

National Park Service: Cultural Resources Geographical Information System Facility (CRGIS)

Our thoughts are with our friends in LA and everyone in the path of Ida!! Sixteen years ago with worked with FEMA to develop a digital historic preservation response to Katrina. Although the technology has changed...the methodology, workflows and considerations are still valid!!! Download a copy of your own!!
https://www.nps.gov/crgis/crgis_guidelines.htm

Get all the information about the National Park Service's Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS)

08/24/2021

Historic African American Gravestones Once Dumped in Potomac River Relocated

An amazing and heartbreaking story. We have worked with local cemeteries here in Washington, DC to map the locations of headstones...as well as where they SHOULD be. At least more is being done to recognize the mistreatment of these cemeteries across the area!
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/historic-african-american-gravestones-once-dumped-in-potomac-river-relocated/2781046/

Dozens of headstones from a historic African American cemetery in the nation’s capital that were used as erosion control along the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac River are being relocated to a memorial garden in Maryland.

08/20/2021

America Is a Quirky Place, and These Maps Prove It

So..it's Friday...finally. Maybe we need a little chuckle to get us to the weekend. Check out these unique maps. Are you in a dog or cat state? What is the preferred soda in your state? There are SO MANY questions!!
https://www.farandwide.com/s/maps-united-states-edd2689d82654e71

These weird maps of the U.S. are packed with fascinating facts you never knew about America.

08/13/2021

Plants, Heavy Metals, and the Lingering Scars of World War I

We map a lot of battlefields...and the cost of war on the landscape is always staggering, and lasting. We can still see the scars of wars fought long ago with the naked eye today. Check out this look at identifying the damage to landscapes during WWI...and how they are recovering.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/zone-rouge-plant-growth

A closer look at the hardy residents of some of our most damaged landscapes.

08/06/2021

Rare Boundary Stone Dated to Emperor Claudius' Reign Unearthed in Rome

There are lots of boundary markers located and listed on the National Register...like all of the stone boundary markers of Washington, DC. Check out THIS boundary marker:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-boundary-stone-dated-emperor-claudius-reign-unearthed-rome-180978362/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&fbclid=IwAR1t69Ilr4orl4tfQrzTW3KJf43DRqAcI5HY7_PUB_kmB4GMFRfDKqPVJJA

The 2,000-year-old travertine slab marked the sacred outer limits of the ancient city

08/02/2021

Ancient 'sunken city' discovered in Egypt

Have you been watching the Olympics? Can you identify the flag of every country at this point?? How about looking at this discovery...goes to show how many of these countries have been connected to each other for a really long time!!
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/thonis-heracleion-sunken-city-greece-egypt/index.html

Divers have discovered rare remains of a military vessel in the ancient sunken city of Thônis-Heracleion - once Egypt's largest port on the Mediterranean - and a funerary complex illustrating the presence of Greek merchants.

07/28/2021

These are the new UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Check this out...new World Heritage Sites named this year...after a little COVID hiatus last year!
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/unesco-world-heritage-list-2021/index.html

From a prehistoric solar observatory in the middle of a desert to a decades-old railway running through two mountain ranges, find out more about the spectacular destinations newly added to UNESCO's World Heritage List.

07/26/2021

Found: An 18th-Century Garden Folly Adorned With Teeth and Bones

So...it's not Halloween, but how many of the world's really interesting cultural resources are made from bones? Check out this incredible find!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/found-garden-folly-teeth

A bit disturbing, but oddly lovely.

07/21/2021

Do you have other good examples of mapping ethnographic cultural resources like music? How cool is this....https://si.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=24e8ea95a72040b19f725dd5dcf71988

Do you have other good examples of mapping ethnographic cultural resources like music? How cool is this....https://si.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=24e8ea95a72040b19f725dd5dcf71988

07/19/2021

This Anglo-Saxon cave dwelling may have been home to an English king who became a saint

Talk about a unique cultural resource/house/structure that needs documentation - Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS! Check this out....how many more of these are out there???
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/anglo-saxon-cave-house-scli-intl-gbr/index.html

Archaeologists in England have identified a near-complete Anglo-Saxon cave house. They say it might once have been the home of a king who became a saint.

07/16/2021

Fingerprint found on 500-year-old statue may belong to Michelangelo

We don't post about museum objects too often...most of the time they have nothing to do with maps. This has nothing to do with maps either, but was just too cool NOT to post!!!
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/michelangelo-thumbprint-wax-statue/index.html

Experts at a London museum believe they have found the Renaissance master's fingerprint -- or thumbprint -- on a small wax statue.

07/12/2021

We're "attending" the ESRI Users Conference this week...sorry we're not in San Diego for this....but enjoying the virtual version!! Hope you are participating too!!!

We're "attending" the ESRI Users Conference this week...sorry we're not in San Diego for this....but enjoying the virtual version!! Hope you are participating too!!!

07/07/2021

The Long History of 'Bombay Time' and Resistance to Colonial Rule

As you may know, precise timing is a huge part of how we map cultural resources and how tools like GPS work. Keeping that time and measuring it is really critical. Check out this article about how timing systems/time zones and precise timing impact so much and reflect some interesting history!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/bombay-time

For decades the city of Mumbai operated by two—or more—different clocks.

07/02/2021

Video: Searching for the Lost Graves of Louisiana’s Enslaved People

Check out this amazing video! It's great to see GIS and historic maps highlighted in finding these important resources!!!!
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000007778616/louisiana-cancer-alley-cemetery-african-americans-video.html?smid=em-share

There are thousands of enslaved people buried in Louisiana’s industrial corridor. But their locations have remained a mystery. Until now. Using historical maps and aerial photos, we can locate these possible graves.

06/25/2021

50 Hilariously Creative Maps That Show You The U.S. In A New Way

ok..it's Friday, right? We are starting to lose track of time....so, enjoy a good weekend?
https://en.wackojaco.com/50-hilariously-creative-maps-that-shows-you-the-us-in-a-new?utm_source=fb5&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=create&ly=native_one&mbid=23847410001930502&fbclid=IwAR3dN3GxjBmxvPAZgqCU-VOKYXM__lSLuER-j0KTcUEdMOWHZE-Lxb12wB4

These Maps Provide An Amusing And Unique Look At The Good 'Ol US Of A

06/23/2021

National Geographic says the world has a fifth ocean

Wait....how many oceans are there on earth? Did we just add one? What about all those drinking game bets that we just lost?????
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/southern-ocean-fifth-national-geographic-hnk-scn/index.html

National Geographic, one of the world's pre-eminent and most visible mapmaking groups, has officially decreed the existence of a fifth ocean. Called the Southern Ocean, it's the body of water that surrounds Antarctica.

06/19/2021

Fort Frederica NM: African American Cemetery

On this Juneteenth find out more about why today celebrates more than just one date in one place, put is a celebrates an important period in American history.

In 2019, National Park Service staff relocated a forgotten African American cemetery

06/15/2021

Never-before-seen Great Wall fort discovered - CNN Video

Thought we knew everything there was to know about the Great Wall of China? Well...it looks like we didn't! Check out this cool discovery!!!
https://www.cnn.com/videos/travel/2021/06/11/great-wall-ruins-discovery-orig.cnn

The remains of a Great Wall fort dating back to the Ming Dynasty were discovered in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

06/11/2021

Every Landmark in China Now Makes Gorgeous Themed Ice Cream

Admittedly, some of us may be obsessed with tiny versions of some of our most famous historic resources. BUT, just in time for summer, did you ever think you would see this??? It may be time for a road trip!!!!!!!!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/chinese-ice-cream

Temples, towers, and famous figures, all as frozen treats.

06/07/2021

'Tomb raiders': The pandemic is making it easier than ever to loot ancient Roman treasures

Looting is always painful to see happening on some of our most important sites. Take a look at this article about how COVID is impacting everything....including looting...sadly...
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/roman-artifacts-covid-looting/index.html

With archeological sites closed and police reassigned to enforce lockdowns, Covid-19 has presented new opportunities for ancient artifact thieves -- or "tomb raiders" as they're known in Italy.