NACIS 2017

The Survey of Manitoba 1869–1881 | L’arpentage du Manitoba de 1869 à 1881
Presenter: Martin Christoher Kotecki, Archives of Manitoba
The survey of the province of Manitoba in the 1870's was part of the much larger survey of the recently acquired Hudson's Bay Company territory in western and northern North America. In 1869 the conservative government of John A. MacDonald had completed negotiations with the imperial government in London for the purchase and transfer of Rupertsland to Canada. Many of the settlers, along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, at the centre of the fur trade in North America, wanted incorporation as a province of Canada. A delegation was sent, by the Provisional Government at Red River, to negotiate terms of entry into confederation. This paper will examine the records produced by the surveyors of the system established by Colonel S. Dennis, the surveyor-general, for the survey of Manitoba and western Canada, as well as the records of the settlement of Manitoba and the West.

A Field Guide to 20th Century Airline Route Maps | Un guide pratique des cartes des voies aériennes du XXè siècle
Presenter: Victoria Johnson, US Agency for International Development / Macfadden 
Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright and locked position as we embark on a 20 minute journey through the wild world of commercial aviation route maps. Whether serving a hyperlocal three-stop outfit or a globe-spanning mega-alliance, airline route maps have performed the same function for nearly a century while taking a wide variety of forms. For all of the clever designs, stylish techniques, and innovative cartography, there are also minor mistakes, utter failures, and complete nosedives. This session will introduce you to the thrilling highs and the white-knuckle lows of that little map at the back of the in-flight magazine. Join me, and fly the friendly skies from the relative comfort of a conference room chair!

New Uses for Old Maps — Exploring transforming landscapes online using OCUL's collection of historical topographic maps | De nouveaux usages pour les vieilles cartes – Explorer la transformation des paysages en ligne grâce à la collection de cartes topographiques historiques de l’OCUL
Presenter: Jo Ashley, OCUL - Scholars Portal 
Just in time for Canada's 150th birthday, the OCUL Historical Topographic Map Digitization Project has digitized and made available for public use a collection of over 1000 topographical maps for Ontario. These maps, published between 1904 and 1977, provide historical snapshots that allow researchers, students and the general public to explore changes to an area over time. The technical particulars for this project involved hard-copy digitization, geo-referencing, and a sustainable transformation for viewing these maps in the Scholars GeoPortal web application. Working with this interesting and unique data in this way has enabled the discovery of how the data can be used to identify and highlight issues such as erosion, urban sprawl, transportation growth and disappearing waterways. Details pertaining to this project's workflow & specifications will be discussed followed by an exploration of the maps via the Scholars GeoPortal and related informative website.

A Cartographer's Story | Une histoire de cartographe
Presenter: Daniel P. Huffman, somethingaboutmaps; John Nelson, Esri
Every act of creation is personal. Behind the cartographic theory, tools, and techniques, there is a human being who struggles, who triumphs, and who is driven by more than just a need to earn an income. A Cartographer's Story is a project dedicated to exploring the personal and emotional relationships which so many of us have with our work. During our time together, we'll talk about why sharing these stories is important, give you a sampling of some of the narratives we feature on the site, and give you an opportunity to get involved.

Celebrating 150 years of topographic mapping in Canada, 1867–2017 | La célébration des 150 ans de la cartographie topographique au Canada (1867-2017)
Presenter: Roger Wheate, University of Northern British Columbia
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 1867. This event spurred extended mapping of the nation's new lands both by incorporating the territories of the Hudson Bay Company and as a counter to westward expansion south of the border. The coincident development of photo-lithography further enabled full colour map production and the proper rendition of halftones. This talk will summarise the sequence of multiple topographic map series that helped cover this northern land, starting with the very Canadian process of phototopography and early imperial map scales in the National Topographic System (NTS). These were replaced by metric scales after World War II along with special topographic map products for example covering national parks and selected glaciers. Into the new millenium, and with the completion of the 1:50,000 NTS maps in 2012, national and provincial agencies have focused on data generation, leaving much innovative topographic mapping to the private sector. These products typically incorporate digital shaded relief and added recreational features which appeal to modern society as much as they did to European travellers a century earlier.