DHM provides historical geographic data on the Internet
The development of a uniform system to make large quantities of historical geographic archives from Sweden, Germany and Denmark accessible in digital form via the Internet is currently being supported by the European Commission's INFO2000 programme. Entitled "Digital History Maps" (DHM), this application is being developed as part of an overall strategy to make more public sector information available to the public, using European multimedia content services. Public archives contain large quantities of historical maps and geographic information, which provide comprehensive information about land use through the ages. In this context, DHM will demonstrate that the geography of the past can be an important resource for the future. By providing digital access to the data through the Internet, it will both be preserved for future generations, and archives will be opened up to the general public, as well as to professional users in sectors such as education, research and planning. Focusing on the development of common procedures for cataloguing/inventory, for storage/archiving and for access provision, DHM aims to develop a pilot system, including a search engine and user interface.