Our team has successfully completed scanning 6,179 maps from PA DEP Wilkes-Barre Office’s basement storage area!
Dave Svab and Samantha Schafer have been diligently scanning these maps over the past few months. During that time Kelsey Biondo has geo-referenced 1,000 and digitized about 50 maps using ArcGIS. 500 of these maps will eventually be digitized.
This project is being conducted to process and preserve mine maps from the coal regions of Pennsylvania. These maps are scanned at 400 DPI resolution into an electronic form for archival purposes. The digital raster maps are sent to the PA DEP California District Mining Office for review and conversion to MrSID format, which compresses the images to 1/20 th of their original size. MrSID files can be used by our staff in highly efficient computer applications like ArcGIS to be georeferenced, which gives them coordinates and to line up with aerial photos and topographic maps. Then the files are sent back to the state and displayed online at www.minemaps.psu.edu. Lastly, 4 layers are digitized from these maps or made into vector information. Digitized layers include the map boundary, the underground mine boundary, mine entry points and coal vein elevation points. These digitized layers will also be available for view online and downloadable for use in programs like ArcGIS.
The main goal of this project is to create a digital database where citizens and businesses can find their properties, view what is in the ground underneath and determine whether mine subsidence insurance is necessary.
Our team will now be moving to process maps from the Pottsville DEP Offices. We will be scanning approximately 2,000 maps, geo-referencing 1,000 maps, and digitizing 300 maps. Then it’s back to Wilkes-Barre to process the maps on the 5th floor.
Samantha stated earlier today, “We are very excited to move on to the next step and after completing almost 7,000 maps, 2,000 doesn’t seem that bad!” Kelsey, on the other hand, is ready to geo-reference again after digitizing for nearly 3 months.
