experience with gis for collaborative historical urban research: the zokak el blat project in beirut

Experiences with GIS for collaborative urban-historical research:

The Zokak el-Blat Project in Beirut

Zokak el-Blat in Beirut Ralph Bodenstein

Zokak el-Blat


DFG-funded research project„Zokak el-Blat:

History, structure, and transformation of a pericentral quarter of Beirut”

InterdisciplinaryField-research basedDFG funding 2001-2003Actual start 1997 – end 2004Location: Orient-Institute Beirut (OIB)

Project supervisors:Hans Gebhardt

Location: Orient-Institute Beirut (OIB)

Dorothée Sack

Research team:

Anne Mollenhauer – architectural history Ralph Bodenstein – urban & architectural historyJens Hanssen – history Oliver Kögler – urban geography Andreas Fritz – urban geographyBernhard Hillenkamp – political sciencesFriederike Stolleis social anthropology


Friederike Stolleis – social anthropology

Zokak el-Blat in Beirut Ralph BodensteinHistory, structure, and transformation of a pericentral quarter

The GIS of the Zokak el-Blat project

Function: Platform for• central data deposit• access to, exchange of, and comparison of data among team members

spatialisation and visualisation of collected data• spatialisation and visualisation of collected data• to help analysis and interpretation of data• production of maps for presentation and publication

• Programme: ArcView GIS 3.2

• GIS was introduced with delay at an advanced stage of the project• Not online, but based on desktop computers in the project office, with

additional copies on laptops (data updates required!)


additional copies on laptops (data updates required!)

Building and feeding our GIS:Building and feeding our GIS:

• Starting out from a up-to-date basic map

( b ? G l E th did ‘t i t t!)(remember? Google Earth didn‘t exist yet!)



• Starting out from an up-to-date basic mapAddi d t l (1 2000 f 1964 1 500 i• Adding cadastral maps (1:2000 of 1964, 1:500 series of 1930s and after)




• Adding existing survey studies• Adding existing survey studies




• Adding existing survey studies• Adding existing survey studies• Adding own urban survey data (e.g. building heights,

building age building types state of preservationbuilding age, building types, state of preservation, functions and use, inhabitants…)




• Adding existing survey studies• Adding existing survey studies• Adding own urban survey data (e.g. building heights,

building age building types state of preservationbuilding age, building types, state of preservation, functions and use, inhabitants…)

• Adding HISTORICAL LAYERS using historical aerialAdding HISTORICAL LAYERS using historical aerial photos and maps


Street shapes

L f

Street shapesBuilding shapes

Layers for:1920, 1945, 1964, 1977, 1991, 2003


Tracing & visualising processes of urban change


1964

19771977


19201920


19451945


19641964


19771977


19911991


20032003


Tackling tables and challenges


Word files ht l filhtml filesimage files


What to do withWhat to do with…

Multiple data per polygon shape?- Multiple data per polygon shape?- Non-spatial or „amorphous“ information?

sensitive information?- sensitive information?


experience with gis for collaborative historical urban research: the zokak el blat project in beirut

Technology

beirutralph bodenstein

blat project function

urban survey data

arcview gis

comparison of data

multiple data

uptodate basic mapremember

project office