by Joe Costa
Related pages: Eelgrass Historical Changes Page | Eelgrass photo interpretation
Subpage: Historical Aerial Surveys SE Mass
Uses of Historical Vertical Aerial Photographs
The Buzzards Bay NEP has used archival aerial photographs from various sources to document changes in eelgrass abundance, changes in land use, the filling of wetlands, and evaluation of shoreline changes. Like many others we use digitally georeferenced imagery from MassGIS and other sources, but we have we have also used unpublished or limited availability aerial surveys where we have scanned contact prints and georeferenced the imagery. We have set up this page to help graduate students, planners, and GIS professionals with guidance and links on how to tap into the vast unused historical aerial image resource that exists both in the private sector and at state, local government agencies. Many agencies and companies still maintain film archives from which digital prints can be ordered. Go to our Sources of Historical Aerial Photographs page to learn more.
Satellite imagery versus aerial photographs
Many of the low altitude large scale vertical imagery available on websites like Google are actually aerial photographs, despite the fact that they may be mislabeled or misconstrued by the viewer as satellite or “spy-satellite” imagery. Most publicly available or free satellite imagery is at a scale to have limited use to local planners, since pixel sizes are typically 50 feet or more. Some satellite imagery can be used for regional planning evaluations, and some imagery is at a higher resolution.
Early Charts of Buzzards Bay
1778 Nautical Map of Buzzards Bay to Chatam, MA
(Des Barres map; opens Library of Congress Website)
1779 update of 1778 above map
(opens Library of Congress Website)
1776 Nautical Map of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound
(Des Barres map; opens Library of Congress Website)
1775 Nautical Chart, Boston to Rhode Island.
(Charles Blaskowitz map; opens Library of Congress Website)
Sources of Aerial Photographs, and Buzzards Bay Survey Dates
Some of the aerial surveys listed in the table below were conducted as part of national efforts (for example, US Geological Survey or US Department of Agriculture aerial assessments). Others were performed for some special state or local assessment. Where available, links are provided to the agencies website.
Links to Historical Aerial Repositories (non-commercial)
USGS Earth Explorer (to the 1930s)
NOAA Aerial Photography and Shoreline Mapping
NOAA Aerial Photography Search
NOAA Aerial Photography Search #2
NOAA Historical Aerial Photography Orders (film scan orders)
National Archives: Ordering Reproductions of Maps, Plans, and Aerial Photographs
Library of Congress Geography & Map Reading Room
Key to bottom type on old nautical chart.
Oyster Reef shown on an 1882 Sippican Harbor nautical chart.
Historic Maps
NOAA nautical chart survey T sheets subpage
NOS Hydrographic Survey Collection
NOAA Historical Nautical Charts
NOAA Office of Coast Survey’s Historical Map & Charts
An under appreciated element of old nautical charts is that oyster reefs and eelgrass beds (“Grass”) are sometimes indicated. These demarcations were most common on maps from the late 19th century.
Online Aerial Viewers
Online Data Viewers
NOAA’s Shoreline Data Explorer
Georeferencing Vertical Aerial Photography
USGS Report Georeferencing Scanned Maps
McGill University Georectifying images in ArcGIS 9.xFile
Historic Aerial Photography of the Greater Everglades Archive and Geodatabase Development
Geo-Referencing Historical Aerial Photography of Texas
Harvard school of design: Georeferencing Images in GIS