Paulo Márcio Leal de Menezes

Historical-Toponymic Analysis of the 1823 Carta Geographica of the Rio de Janeiro Province

The Carta Geographica of the Province of Rio de Janeiro, copied and published by the Real Archivo Militar de Lisboa (Lisbon Royal Military Archive), in 1823, is a cartographic document that has certain characteristics that are both curious and incentives to research. This chapter analyzes the information in the document as a historical map, highlighting its cartographic qualities relating to map projection, scale, cartographic quality, and accuracy, whether internal or external, as well as the study of the toponymy in three main aspects: settlements nuclei, hydrographic, and orographic elements. The used methodology for map evaluation is the one used by the Cartography Laboratory, GeoCart, of the Geography Department, of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Initially, its structure of coherence with the historic context of the time was checked, considering the boundaries of the Province right after Brazil’s independence. The pertinent information was surveyed to put the cartographic structure into context, based on the adopted map projection, coordinates system, and orientation. The cartographic quality was appraised based on the scale and on the comparison between distances and angles between known points. Finally, the existing toponymy was extracted and broken down into the described categories in a quantitative and qualitative way. A comparative check was done, taking in account the existing toponymy already researched in previous periods (1777, 1732), verifying their positioning and changes, as well as if toponymy additions occurred. A curious aspect of this map is the existence of a toponym indicating the “Mar do Brasil” (“Sea of Brazil”), the only known name of its kind, referring to the Ocean in front of the State.

Cartographic Memory Preservation of the Petrópolis City in Brazil: Koeler Map Scanning Using Photographic Survey

Historical cartographic documents have been increasingly essential to several studies, especially when understanding how the current forms of a landscape are structured. In this regard, these documents, along with the assistance of new digital technologies, are preserved and made available to the public. This research focused on investigating the Koeler Plan, a document providing guidance on urban planning for the development of the city of Petropolis. The plan’s milestone is the Petropolis Map (1846), which became known as Koeler Map , in honor of its creator. The map was made at a scale of 1:5,000 and contains different cartographic elements such as hydrography, public parks, streets, blocks, and land reserved for public and religious buildings. This research aims to digitally reproduce this map, since its restoration and further use are quite difficult due to its current conditions. The methodology comprises photographic survey techniques using a high resolution digital camera and a track system which moves the camera vertically and horizontally. Several tests were made using multiple georeferencing algorithms to check which of them would better adjust into a mosaic the 191 photographs taken and preserve the features for the digital map generation. The process was developed in five pairs of photographs distributed along the map area, using ArcGIS 10.1 software with different transformations: Zero Order Polynomial, 1st Order Polynomial (Affine), 2nd Order Polynomial, 3rd Order Polynomial, Adjust, Projective Transformation, and Spline. After georeferencing these pairs, a test was made based on the distortions produced in area and length, in addition to the RMS for each transformation. From these results, it was found that the 1st Order Polynomial (Affine) transformation had lower distortion values for the photographs, which allowed a highest quality photo mosaicking.

Avaliação dos diferentes métodos de transformação para georreferenciar documentos cartográficos de 1812 e 1906 do Rio de Janeiro

A cartografia historica possui um papel fundamental para o entendimento das diversas transformacoes que aconteceram no espaco ao longo do tempo. Desta forma, a elaboracao de um georreferenciamento preciso de documentos cartograficos do passado recuperados, torna-se fundamental para o acompanhamento da evolucao urbana, considerando a atuacao dos diversos agentes envolvidos, como as politicas publicas adotadas pelos governantes, a especulacao imobiliaria, a influencia da igreja, entre outros, que determinaram o formato atual da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Sendo assim, o trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar os resultados dos diversos tipos de transformacoes (geometrica, afim e polinomial) que fornecam melhor precisao no georreferenciamento da planta da cidade de Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro (1812) e da planta de melhoramentos urbanos da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, publicada no ano de 1906, tendo como base o mapa digital da cidade do Rio de Janeiro (2000). A metodologia para recuperacao de dados de plantas antigas esta dividida nas seguintes etapas: a) Escolha da base cartografica, b) Procedimentos para a elaboracao do georreferenciamento e c) Processamento das plantas de 1812 e 1906. Os resultados demonstram que os erros residuais sao compativeis com a escala de 1:10.000 das plantas estudadas, podendo ambas serem utilizadas para a analise multitemporal da cidade.

The General Map of Brazil

This paper aims to present the cartographic activities developed at the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century. In addition to the historical chronology, it will present the technical operations and actions during the first and second decades of the twentieth century. In 1889, the need for detailed mapping of Brazil at appropriate scales was confirmed by the Army Staff. In 1896, the study for the General Map of the Republic project demonstrated the specifications and considerations of the cartographic, topographic and geodetic operations to be developed, its work being initiated in 1904. In 1910, contact with Professor Carl Pulfrich, the development of accurate cartographic procedures and others procedures created a new perspective on the mapping projects. After World War I, in 1920, the Austrian Military Cartographic Mission reached Brazil, with the aims of studying the cartographic projection system suitable for mapping the national territory, the surveying for the Federal District Topographic Map and the Topographic Map of Brazil, at 1:1,000,000 scale, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Brazil. From 1922, there were successive internal convulsions in the country. Problems of continuity in mapping grew larger until 1930. In 1932, the Military Geographical Service was renamed the Army Geographical Service and the General Map Commission was abolished. This date marked the beginning for mapmaking and the accurate knowledge of the vast territory of Brazil, with the systematization of mapmaking at several scales, as well as the complete creation of an accurate geodetic network.

The Cartography of the Brazilian Empire

This paper covers a small section of the historical research on the Cartography and Geodesy of Brazil which is undertaken by GeoCart, the Laboratory of Cartography of the Department of Geography at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.