Methods for creating vintage map design

The diploma thesis deals with the possibilities of creating maps in the so-called vintage map design. It contains both theoretical anchoring of this issue and its forms in practical use. The main results of the work are character sets in the form of styles adapted for use in ArcGIS Pro, graphic historicizing supplements in SVG format and a series of ten printed large format maps.

The theoretical part of the thesis is a research, which is mainly devoted to the issues of defining cartographic styles and the development of the means of map production over the centuries. It also includes an analysis of methods of cartographic visualisation on old maps and the definition of vintage map design within the framework of the needs of the thesis, consulted with experts in historical geography and cartography.

The practical part describes in detail the process of realization of individual vintage maps. The procedure is divided into the following sub-objectives: design and creation of character sets, data acquisition and processing using geoprocessing tasks, visualization in the GIS environment by applying the created signs, creation of graphic supplements, final editing of maps in the graphic editor and printing of maps including prepress preparation.

Each of the resulting maps is an original. Their different scales and formats represent three levels of scale – world, continent and region. Their varied appearance reflects the means of mapmaking of the 16th–18th centuries. The work is therefore built on a relatively wide range of data, but among the most used are the ArcČR 500 and Natural Earth datasets. The processing of these data was carried out in ArcGIS Pro and QGIS software. Adobe Illustrator graphic software was used for the creation of character sets and historicizing supplements, graphic editing and prepress preparation.

The above results, which together with the text of the thesis and the poster are available on the website of the thesis, can be used by other cartographers to create their own vintage maps. The printed maps are aimed at the general public and can be used to popularize cartography (not only) in the events of the Department of Geoinformatics of Palacký University.