Presentation given at the Geospatial in the Cultural Heritage Domain - Past, Present & Future event in London on 7th March 2012. The event was organised as part of the JISC GECO project.

1. Localising wartime
past: London's Blitz
Stepping into Time
Dr Catherine Emma (Kate) Jones
@spatialK8: http://blitzbombcensusmaps.wordpress.com/
University of Portsmouth

2. Overview
• About the project
• About the users
• About the data
• About the work plan
• About the hopeful impacts
• About the issues encountered to date

3. About the project
• “Almost everything that happens, happens
somewhere and knowing where something
happens is critically important”
(Longley et al., 2010)
• Explores the mechanisms of linking & clustering
historic data using geography & time, generating
derived information and knowledge set in the
present world
Longley, godchild, Maguire and Rhind (2010), Geographical Information Systems and Science, Wiley and Son: Chichester. Page 2

4. Typical User Stories
• WHO: „Megan‟ a student of history, „Mark‟, a geography
undergraduate, or „Matthew‟, an urban design post-graduate
• WHAT: Research on how streets and the built environment have
changed through time?
– all are proficient discipline specific packages
– not proficient with desktop GIS
• Familiar with Google Maps/ Bing Maps etc...
• Accounts with social networking websites & use mobile apps
• Learn best with practical problems to solve & visual material
• Find traditional lectures a little boring

5. Challenges faced by the user
• (1) determining available data
• (2) understanding the technology, concepts &
methods required to process & integrate data
• (3) implementing the technical solutions

6. User Experience Vision
• Links together different types of data
– London during the Blitz
• Aimed at students and researchers
– (professional, academic or citizen researchers)
• Developing web and mobile tools
• Explore and discover where bombs fell
& the damage caused
• For First time
– Access to archive content
– New interactive representations of data

7. Features of the project
• Creating digital maps of the bomb census
– For the period of the blitz in London
• Spatial data for different boundaries
• Exploring linkage to spatially referenced images
• Creating web-mapping application
– to explore the data
• Creating a mobile application to visualise data in
situational context

8. The National Archive
WHAT ARCHIVE DATA TO
USE?

9. What data to use?

10. Two types of maps
1. Aggregate maps of Nightly
Bomb Drops during Blitz
2. Weekly records
1. Over 500 map sheets for region 5
2. 9 map sheets for Central London
for first week of the „Blitz‟

11. Aggregate Maps for Region 5 Only - LONDON
Night Bombing
during the Blitz
53/22 56/22 56/22 56/22 56/22
Heaviest
NS (B); SW( a) SW(b) SE (a); SE (b);
Bombing Period
53/20 53/20 56/20 56/20 56/20 56/20 59/20
NE (A); NE (B); NW(A); NW(B); NE (A); NE (b); NW (A); Autumn 1940 to
Spring 1941
53/20 53/20 56/20 56/20 56/20 56/20 59/20
SE (A); SE (B); SW (A); SW (B); SE (A); SE (b); SW (A);
Bomb Census
53/18 53/18 56/18 56/18 56/18 59/18
Maps: HO 193
56/18
NE (A); NE (B); NW (A); NW (B); NE(A); NE(B); NW (A);
53/18 53/18 56/18 56/18 56/18 56/18 59/18
HO 193/13:
SE (A); SE (B); SW (A); SW (B); SE(A); SE(B); SW (A);
Night bombing only
56/16 56/16 56/16
between 7 Oct 1940
NW (A); NW (B); NE (A); and 6 June 1941;
PILOTED AIRCRAFT
Maps show locations of all bombs dropped at
35 Map Sheets night from:
October 7th 1940 to June 6th 1941

12. Aggregate Maps for Region 5 Only – LONDON
Zoom In around Holborn
Image copyright: Crown Copyright, The National
Archives

13. Weekly Maps
HO 193/01
53/22 NS (B); 56/22 SW( a) 56/22 SW(b) 56/22 SE (a); 56/22 SE (b);
53/20 NE (A); 53/20 NE (B); 56/20 NW(A); 56/20 NW(B); 56/20 NE (A); 56/20 NE (b); 59/20 NW (A);
53/20 SE (A); 53/20 SE (B); 56/20 SW (A); 56/20 SW (B); 56/20 SE (A); 56/20 SE (b); 59/20 SW (A);
53/18 NE (A); 53/18 NE (B); 56/18 NW (A); 56/18 NW (B); 56/18 NE(A); 56/18 NE(B); 59/18 NW (A);
53/18 SE (A); 53/18 SE (B); 56/18 SE(A); 59/18 SW (A);
56/18 SW (A); 56/18 SW (B); 56/18 SE(B);
56/16 NW (A); 56/16 NW (B); 56/16 NE (A);

14. How will we achieve this project?
PROJECT PLAN

15. 6 Work Packages
1. Work package 1: Pilot Phase
• Determine data to include in the project and method of data
integration
2. Work Package 2: Geographical & historical data integration
• Georeference, Digitise bomb locations; vectorise roads(?)
• Collate statement of accuracy and metadata
• Develop aggregate statistics
3. Work Package 3: Web-Mapping App Development
• Develop web-mapping application, using open source tools to
explore the data
4. Work Package 4: Mobile App Development
• Develop interface to viewi geo-historic datasets on android mobile
using AR
5. Work Package 5: Data Sharing and IPR
6. Work Package 6: Understanding and engaging users
• User centred design - UX vision; User stories, Wire frames (Pencil), Focus
group, Prototype

16. Sketching the wireframes

17. Expected Project Outcomes
• Georeferenced bomb maps
= digital record of national importance
• Final data shared with The National Archives
= reduce use of the original maps and aid their preservation
• Opening up maps
= Remove need for specialist skills to prepare and process data; only
need to do things once
• Geographic framework for study of impact of bombing
= Aiding understanding of social/economic impact, post WW2
• Augmented reality app not just for academic use
= the power of geography

18. Some learning points for other projects
WHY IS THE PLAN SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT TO THE PROPOSAL?

19. Learning points to date...
• IPR and small archives
– IPR and business objectives
– http://blitzbombcensusmaps.wordpr
ess.com/2012/02/29/ideas-to-help-
prevent-manefestation-of-ipr-issues/ Image source: JISC
• Scanning and Digitising
Delays
– Lots of JISC projects requesting
jobs from same archive
Image source: Geograph.org

20. Summary
• Linking Historic data using the power
of location
• If you are interested in being part of
our user group – please contact me
@spatialK8
http://blitzbombcensusmaps.wordpress.com/
Kate.jones@port.ac.uk