TrenchMapper, the new WFA maps project

[Howard]

The Western Front Association is delighted to announce the launch of a large Great War mapping project.

The new website is free to use and displays British, French and German trench maps, aerial photographs, maps from the official history, hand drawn maps and others all georeferenced against modern mapping. The main emphasis is on the Western Front and Gallipoli but there are also UK maps of the period.

https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/trenchmapper-public/

Members get privileged access via the WFA login page.

Users can employ a name search to find trenches, maps, photographs, villages, camps etc. and to see what these places look like now with Street View. They can even explore inside key buildings and tunnels.

A tool is provided to enter a Great War map reference and display that point as a modern coordinate suitable for use in GPS. Other tools measure distance and bearing, change the modern mapping background or display the current street address.

The site launched on 28^th March 2022 with more than 1,100 maps but in the future that number is planned to reach approximately 7,000. This is a phased launch of the website, developments will include more maps, 3D maps of selected areas  and other map types. We are also investigating other advanced features such as GPS integration.

The maps can be downloaded for a very modest fee, WFA members get two free maps a month and are able to zoom in further for more detail.

The site will be of use to people researching their family history, military historians and those who simply wish to remember.

[David Tattersfield]

On 28/03/2022 at 21:50, Howard said:

The site launched on 28^th March 2022 with more than 1,100 maps but in the future that number is planned to reach approximately 7,000. This is a phased launch of the website, developments will include more maps, 3D maps of selected areas  and other map types. We are also investigating other advanced features such as GPS integration.

 

 

Since launch, the volunteers have been hard at work preparing more maps for TrenchMapper and we've recently added the 2000th map already.  If anyone wishes to help with this project, simply email mapping@westernfrontassociation.com 

[bogesy]

May I ask, where do the trench maps come from that WFA uses for this project? Private hands? Institutions? Collections of members? Looks fascinating...

[WhiteStarLine]

Hi @bogesy, the vast majority of the georeferenced maps come from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.  Very recently, additions have been made from other institutions that offer map downloads under Creative Commons or similar licenses.

To date, 3,300 maps have been georeferenced by volunteers.

[bogesy]

31 minutes ago, WhiteStarLine said:

Hi @bogesy, the vast majority of the georeferenced maps come from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.  Very recently, additions have been made from other institutions that offer map downloads under Creative Commons or similar licenses.

To date, 3,300 maps have been georeferenced by volunteers.

Thanks for explaining this. I've got hundreds, some of which are in fact very rare, but if they are drawing on IWM, they probably don't need my help, and I don't know how I would get sufficiently high-quality scans made anyway (currently live in States). Anyway, have been looking through their maps. Very impressive...

 

[WhiteStarLine]

Thanks for that.  Rare maps and maps of areas with less coverage are always of interest to the team.  There are a small number lent to us by WFA members in the collection.

I accept that scanning large, fragile and rare items is not routine!  What we do is start with a single scan of the entire map, such that a 1:10,000 map might be 10,000 pixels wide and 13MB in size.  We then find 6 or more points that are common to the historic and modern map and georeference it.  Then we use the same software to cut it up into tiny little tiles, so that it can be loaded relatively quickly in the browser,

So if you ever come across someone locally with a large scanner, please contact us. 

Cheers, Bill

[David Tattersfield]

6 hours ago, bogesy said:

Thanks for explaining this. I've got hundreds, some of which are in fact very rare, but if they are drawing on IWM, they probably don't need my help, and I don't know how I would get sufficiently high-quality scans made anyway (currently live in States). Anyway, have been looking through their maps. Very impressive...

 

Thanks for your interest @bogesy We are looking to expand the collection - I'll send you a PM. 

If anyone reading this would like to participate in this exciting project, just get in touch with me. We would very much like to expand the collection of maps but also utilise willing volunteers to help geo-reference. We are making massive strides in the geo-referencing but if (as we aim) we expand the total number of maps, further help in doing the technical work would be very handy indeed !

[IM75]

The TrenchMapper is an incredible resource and worth the WFA membership fee alone - thank you to everyone involved in getting it up and running.

I'm currently using the maps from the Official History 1916 Vol 1 for some 1 July unit research and they're great, however, I can't find the map that covers the main Thiepval area of 36th and 32nd Division. I've got the other five that cover from Gommecourt to Maricourt but can't for the life of me locate the one for Thiepval - is this map missing? 

If it hasn't been scanned yet, does anybody know if it is available anywhere else online? I've got the books but the maps that have been scanned on TrenchMapper are so much better.

Cheers

Iain 

[David Tattersfield]

13 minutes ago, IM75 said:

The TrenchMapper is an incredible resource and worth the WFA membership fee alone - thank you to everyone involved in getting it up and running.

I'm currently using the maps from the Official History 1916 Vol 1 for some 1 July unit research and they're great, however, I can't find the map that covers the main Thiepval area of 36th and 32nd Division. I've got the other five that cover from Gommecourt to Maricourt but can't for the life of me locate the one for Thiepval - is this map missing? 

If it hasn't been scanned yet, does anybody know if it is available anywhere else online? I've got the books but the maps that have been scanned on TrenchMapper are so much better.

Cheers

Iain 

Thanks for the kind words. Someone will get back to you with an answer very soon. @WhiteStarLine and @Howard will almost certainly be able to add something here. 

[IM75]

3 minutes ago, David Tattersfield said:

Thanks for the kind words. Someone will get back to you with an answer very soon. @WhiteStarLine and @Howard will almost certainly be able to add something here. 

That was quick! Thanks David - much appreciated.

[Howard]

PM'd.

Howard

[Just A Glesga Keelie]

I would gladly help in any way i could if help is still needed ?

Kind regards

[David Tattersfield]

6 hours ago, Just A Glesga Keelie said:

I would gladly help in any way i could if help is still needed ?

Kind regards

Brilliant. Yes please. I'll send you a pm with how to get in touch. 

[Just A Glesga Keelie]

4 hours ago, David Tattersfield said:

Brilliant. Yes please. I'll send you a pm with how to get in touch. 

Replied David

 

Thanks

[WhiteStarLine]

On 21/09/2022 at 03:01, IM75 said:

I can't find the map that covers the main Thiepval area of 36th and 32nd Division

Hi @IM75 that map has now been added to the collection.  Thanks for your kind words.

[IM75]

Thanks Bill thats great.

Iain 

[Cemil]

Bu site gerçekten çok iyi fakat bu ücretler yıllık mı? malum 1 Euro 30 TL neredeyse. Yaktın bizi ekonomi

[David Tattersfield]

On 11/09/2023 at 16:44, Cemil said:

Bu site gerçekten çok iyi fakat bu ücretler yıllık mı? malum 1 Euro 30 TL neredeyse. Yaktın bizi ekonomi

Hi Cemil

Thanks for this. The WFA membership subs start at just £29 per year, with loads of member benefits for this for example magazines, (the most significant of which being back copies going back 40 years of our journal 'Stand To!) which are available digitally plus access to Pension Records etc.

I guess you are particularly attracted to what we are doing with TrenchMapper.

I realise the exchange rate is terrible for you at the moment, but I hope you will be able to join. Members can zoom into the maps in far greater detail than the (free) non member access.

Edited 12 September , 2023 by David Tattersfield