TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK HISTORICAL MAPS ANALYSIS Tomaž Podobnikar 1 Žiga Kokalj 2 Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana (Slovenia) tp@zrc-sazu.si 1 ; ziga.kokalj@zrc-sazu.si 2 Abstract: Triglav National Park has been on the frontier of empires most of the time and borders delineation has been a constant issue. The historical maps are commonly the most important database for various spatial analyses of the historical landscapes, urban development, influences of the economy development, toponymes changes, land use, etc. Principal data sources for our study are Austrian maps from the end of 18th century, Italian and Yugoslav maps from the mid 20th century and Slovenian maps from the end of 20th century. Major drawbacks are uncommon map legends together with different techniques of cartography even in the same time and poor knowledge of projections used. The other problems include low details for the mountainous area. We decided to analyse old cartographic techniques and to establish methodology for georeferencing and mosaicking for our purposes. GIS-based study is going to use the historical maps to analyse social processes such as depopulation, deagrarization and urbanization, as well as tourism development and political influences through the examination of land use changes as a part of Interreg IIIB, SISTEMaPARC European project in the near future. INTRODUCTION Triglav National Park covers an area of 838 km2 and is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Europe. At least four different countries have claimed and divided the region in the last two hundred years. The park has been on the frontier of countries most of the time and borders delineation has been a constant issue. Cartographical methods and techniques of the area have consequently varied widely in time and space. Nevertheless, the historical maps are commonly the most important database for various spatial analyses of the historical landscapes, urban development, influences of the economy development and wars, toponymes and land use changes, map production technology, etc. Nowadays more and more reprinted or scanned old maps of different sources, covering the territory of Slovenia, are available (Korošec 1974, Rajšp 1996, NLS 2002, NUK 2004, ARS 2004). Big progress has been done with increasing the accessibility of the old maps but interpretation of such datasets is possible only visually: comparing two or more datasets laying beside each other. Combination with other maps using transparent overlaying principles is impossible. The powerful solution is transformation the scanned maps to the common coordinate system, to georeference them. With this approach, the maps can be combined also with the satellite images, orthophotos, modern digital raster and vector maps, databases as digital elevation models (DEMs), land covers, land cadastre maps, urban plans and other thematic layers. For example, Franciscan cadastre can be combined with current cadastre data. These two layers could be analysed also regarding pedology, exposition of landscape (using DEM), aerial photographs from last half of previous century, documents of evaluation of cadastre incomes, etc. Such approach enables plenty of spatial analyses using common geographical information systems (GIS) tools. Its also make possible time series analyses and powerful visualisations using different visual effects and 3D techniques. With vectorisation or advanced methods of reclassification of historical maps to acquire specific thematic data layers could be employed more sophisticated spatial analyses (Podobnikar and Šinkovec 2004).