This website will
complement the forthcoming completely revised edition of
the book Who Owns Scotland. Given the technical advances
in the internet and computer mapping it is now possible to
undertake a project like this in a way which was impossible
6 years ago when Who Owns Scotland was first published
This section provides a brief insight into the technical
background to the website.
Websites containing maps and data are still relatively uncommon for a number
of reasons. Digital mapping is expensive, file sizes can be problematic,
and map navigation can be tricky. In developing this site we have had to
work around all these issues and, although we think we have achieved a
worthwhile initial product, are well aware that further technical development
will be necessary.
The Research Process
All the data on landownership contained in this site is obtained
from research in the Registers of Scotland and the National
Archives of Scotland using
as title deeds as our source material. The legal ownership of all properties
is therefore definitive.
However, occasionally, we have relied on information
from other sources to determine the boundaries of properties
but only where existing legal
sources are inadequate. For example, maps available from the public records
are frequently next to useless. A description “the lands as delineated
in pink on the plan annexed” is not very much use when all one has
is a blue microfiche or black and white photocopy. In such cases resort
will be made to other sources including the owners themselves.
Data Processing
Information on ownership is transferred to a computer database and maps
are generated by digitising boundaries from 1:25,000 OS maps. A GIS (geographic
information system) software programme produced by ESRI called
Arcview is being used. This is a powerful industry-standard
product which enables sophisticated storage, manipulation and publication
of geographic information. Storing data this way means that it is in a
format which is common throughout the GIS community and which will be robust
enough to be adapted in future to a wide range of formats and applications.
Website Construction
In an ideal world, you would be able to access the information
contained in Arcview directly across the internet. This would
enable you to zoom
in and out, pan across maps, query selected areas for specific information
and generate your own bespoke map. Generating the data in Arcview allows
us the possibility to do this but there are two key reasons why this is
not practical just now.
- ArcIMS,
which is the software that allows Arcview to be served
across the internet costs in the region of £9000. We
can’t afford it.
- Viewing
data using ArcIMS can be problematic unless you have
a high speed connection. Have a look at a couple of
sites which use it and see what
you think
UKdeal
UK
Elections Map
The
Environment Agency - What's in your backyard?
Of these two issues,
the second is of most concern to us. We want nothing
to stand in the way of being able to get hold of the
information on this site and for those users with slow/poor
connections and older computers and software, interactive
GIS-based websites are of no use.
Displaying mapping on the internet and allowing users to navigate using
maps is central to our whole approach. Maps visualise land and landownership
is best understood in the first instance by looking at a map.
The biggest drawback to using ‘static’ web
pages rather than interactive GIS is that map navigation
is problematic. Using ArcIMS,
one simply moves around and zooms in and out using tools provided on
the page. This is tricky to do with a simple website
because every single map at every single scale needs to be generated
and overlain with hyperlinks.
However....... after a lot of research, we think we now
have the solution. It is a German-designed
piece of software that utilises SVG (scaleable vector graphics)
technology to allow the export of GIS data to the internet.
It's fantastic and does the job at a very modest cost.
We now (2004) have map navigation built into the site.
Click here to
see it in operation.
|
