NOTE: the user interface as shown here has changed over time, and will no doubt continue to change. While it may not look exactly like the screen shots here, the same general ideas will apply, i.e. you can select various basemaps and layers as needed.
These 1940 aerial photographs* of Austin and most of Travis County are the product of a joint effort between the Travis County Historical Commission and Travis County Department of Transportation & Natural Resources (with special thanks to Irene Egbulefu, GIS Analyst).
The aerials are a valuable aid to historians providing a snapshot of Austin and Travis County before WWII; a snapshot before Travis County's explosive growth. A time before changes in the landscape like the construction of Longhorn Dam; full completion of Mansfield Dam; before there was an I-35, or MoPac expressway; before there was a 1st Street or Lamar Street bridge; before there was a Bergstrom AFB, much less a Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. A time when farms and homesteads built in the 19th century dotted the landscape.
Built on ArcGIS, you are provided a basemap of your choice, georeferenced 1940 aerial photos, plus several layers to facilitate navigation and historic analysis: GLO abstracts, TCAD parcels and subdivisions; lakes, rivers and creeks.
* United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Travis USDA Historic Imagery, 1940-09-12. Web. 2020-08-20.
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| Click here for 1940 Aerials of Travis County |
Tips on using the aerials (click image enlarge)
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| Choosing layers |
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| Adjusting transparency of aerial photos to view underlying basemap |
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| Select a basemap |
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| Search by postal address or lat long |
Is it possible to download the map for use in an app such as Gaia GPS? This app has the ability to download TMS map sources for use on a smartphone while out in the field. I would love to be able to walk around the city and see what had been in my location previously. I have been enjoying this map immensely.
ReplyDeleteAt this time, no. This is something we have discussed trying to make available. The City of Austin has the 450+ aerial photos that make up the map on their website, but you may have problems with the georeferencing. They are located here: https://austintexas.app.box.com/s/uphue0cn7drnwkhgmsnwf5mlby8lnfhu/folder/41416530097
DeleteThe City of Austin also has loaded the 1940 aerials (and other historic aerials too) on their ArcGIS Online portal, https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=48deddbe582e4f759ccea1602d42ae23
ReplyDeleteYes. We added a few things to our setup to facilitate historical research such as GLO surveys and TCAD parcels.
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