Digital projects

Below are a list of projects that have brought historical maps back to life:


University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ: Campus Green Spaces and Green Roofs

 Explore our Green Roofs, Rooftop Gardens, and Green Spaces. Discover serene spots and sustainable urban greenery across campus.

University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ: Campus Progression Through Imagery

In 1958, the À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ College of Associate Faculties, not yet their own university, acquired approximately 200 acres of land on what is now the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ's main campus. Over the next six decades, the university would go through massive development and grow to become a nationally and internationally acclaimed academic institution.

This aims to show a progression of the university's main campus using orthoimagery, while providing a bit of history on the university's development.

University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ: Study Spots on Campus

If you're in search of a space on campus to study, this may have just the spot for you.

Historical Air Photos

The Geospatial Centre air photo collection consists of paper images from 1930-2006. An  shows the extent and years of coverage. The largest collection that covers Southern Ontario is the . Digitized images that cover the for the years 1930s-1970s are available to be ordered as well. Digital images are availalable in image and KML format. Please contact the Geospatial Centre for the order form.

Historical Maps: Past and Present

Peruse through some historical maps of the Region, Toronto and Ottawa, using the Swipe feature in ArcGIS Online. 

1875 Structures of Kitchener

View a, and spot which structures still exist today. 

Forgotten Homes of Kitchener

As part of the data analysis that Geospatial staff have conducted using transcribed and geocoded Vernon city directories, Geospatial Centre presents one of many themed story maps: The Forgotten Homes of Kitchener. This highlights a neighbourhood that was thriving with life - people, homes, streets and stories - but now in its place stands a parking lot. Let's resurface the past and honour the individuals who made a living and an impact in early Kitchener. For other themed maps, please visit Historical Vernon City Directories Mapped. 

Kitchener Historical Vernon City Directories Mapped

Vernon City Directories from 1900-2000 have been digitized, transcribed, geocoded and mapped, resulting in an openly available searchable database, webmap, as well as multiple historical data product maps. Delve into the past and learn about the individuals who lived and worked in Berlin/Kitchener, as well as the numerous impactful manufacturers that have made what Kitchener is today.

Historical Maps of the Region of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ

Several historical maps have been scanned and made available for viewing using the

Kitchener Historical Street Project (1853 - 1992)

This , created by the Geospatial Centre, shows the City of Kitchener's road network for various decades ranging from 1853 to 1992. This data was derived from digitized copies of old street maps of the city. It is intended to showcase the change in Kitchener's road network over the course of this time frame.

As part of a much larger project to digitize building footprints from the Region of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Fire Insurance Plans, Geospatial Centre staff digitized the building parcels from the 1908 Kitchener Fire Insurance Plans (based on the zonal subdivision (1-54). is used to graphically illustrate the building shapefiles with detailed metadata. This second is a comparison of Downtown Kitchener Building Footprints of 1917 & 1947.

This is the result of unpublished Masters (MES) research by Karrow, Thomas (2013), along with expertise from the staff at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ, Geospatial Centre.This website provides a database of known pre-settlement vegetation maps, created from early survey data. Three distinct 'metamaps' represent cartographic endeavours from different sources.