User:World Survey - Maps

Maps Project for Underserved Countries
Project Leader: Carly Bagley Task List: Task List Example: Mexico Maps page example Purpose: To update/standardize the maps pages for each country. You will use a lot of your best judgement to make these pages better. Some of these pages won't have much information. And some may have an incredible amount of information. And so we may have to modify the template in the future. Please reach out anytime you have questions or have difficulties knowing where to place information.

PART 1 : Google Spreadsheet
1. Go to the Task List above and open the Google Spreadsheet. Start by selecting on the tab for Stage 1 and then work your way through the rest of the stages.

2. You'll notice that each sheet has columns for Name, Country, and Maps. Here's a key for what everything means on this spreadsheet:
 * Purple Country column: This column lists the pages that you will update. You won't edit this column but you can click on each of the countries and it will take you to its FamilySearch Wiki home page.
 * Red, Orange, and Yellow Finished Map Link column: This column is where you will post the link of your finished map page when you are done. (You can also leave comments or notes in these cells if you need to organize yourself.)
 * Red cells represent countries with no map page. If you look at the sidebar of these country pages, you'll see that Maps is a red link. (Stage 1)
 * Orange cells represent countries with map pages with little information. (Stages 1, 2, and 3)
 * Yellow cells represent countries with map pages with lots of information. (Stage 4)
 * Dark Green Page Editor Name column: List your name next to a country you are working on so you can organize who will work on which countries.
 * Light Green Date Edited column: When you complete a page, list the completion date in this column.
 * Dark Blue Reviewer Name column: Don't touch this column. We'll have someone review your country page after you have finished.
 * Light Blue Date Reviewed column: Don't touch this column. We'll have someone review your country page after you have finished.

3. Type your name in the dark green Page Editor Name column next to the country you would like to work on. (Start with Phase 1 first because they are high priority.)

PART 2 : Filling out your country's template
1. Create a sandbox page so you can copy a template and fill it out with information. If you need help with how to create a sandbox, go to this page. 2. Copy the following template below and paste it in your sandbox. You will use this to organize your country page.

To learn more about maps in general, go to the  Maps Record Page. == Online Maps ==

*[URL Google Maps] *[URL David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection] *[URL Old Maps Online Collection] *[URL Library of Congress Maps Collection] *[URL Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library] *[URL Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection] *[URL Archive.org]

== Tips for Using Maps ==

Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:

*There are often several places with the same name. You may want to use a  Gazetteer to help you. *The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestor lived there. *Place-names are often misspelled in English sources. Difficult names may have been shortened and important diacritic marks omitted. *Political boundaries are not clearly indicated on all maps. Look for neighboring towns and geographic features to find the area where your ancestor came from. *Boundaries changed over time. Use historical maps to understand boundary changes.

For more tips and information on using maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

=== Finding the Specific Town on the Map ===

To successfully research maps from COUNTRY, you must identify the town where your ancestor lived. Because there are several towns that have the same name, you may need some additional information before you can locate the correct town on a map. Using gazetteers can help you to identify a place's the jurisdiction and help you locate it on a map. See the COUNTRY Gazetteers article for more information.

== Types of Maps ==

Different types of maps help you in different ways, for example:

*Historical atlases describe the growth and development of countries, showing boundaries, migration routes, settlement patterns, military campaigns, and other historical information. *Road atlases are useful because of the detail they provide. *Other types of maps include: parish maps, state maps, tourist maps, topographical maps, and air navigation maps. City maps are extremely helpful when researching in large cities.

To learn more about different types of maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

=== Historical Maps Collections ===

Historical map collections are helpful because they can show you the geography of your ancestor's residence at or around the time they lived there. The following collection is helpful:


 * [URL COLLECTION NAME] - DESCRIPTION.

3. The template is broken up into sections. See below and work on each section at a time.

STEP 1 : Breadcrumb
1. Go to the breadcrumb section. It should look like this:

To learn more about maps in general, go to the  Maps Record Page.

2. Where there is COUNTRY, put in the name of your country. 3. Select Save page. 4. Check your breadcrumbs links. They should direct you to the original maps pages for your country. (Occasionally, it'll link to a page that has yet to be created. That's fine, just be sure to double-check!) 5. If all is well, move onto the next section!

STEP 2: Online Maps
Go to the Online Maps section. Select "edit source". It should look like this:

== Online Maps == *[URL Google Maps] *[URL David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection] *[URL Old Maps Online Collection] *[URL Library of Congress Maps Collection] *[URL Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library] *[URL Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection]

#1. Google Maps
1. For the FIRST bullet point, go to Google Maps. 2. Type in your country in the Google search bar. It should take you to an online map of the country. 3. Copy the URL. 4. Go back to your Wiki sandbox and paste the URL where "URL" is for the FIRST bullet point. It should look like this: *Google Maps

#2. David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection
1. For the SECOND bullet point, go to David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection. 2. Go to "Search the Collection" and type in your country. Select "Go". 3. Usually, you will have so many search results. To refine and narrow your search, go to the left sidebar. There will be a heading that says, WHERE and underneath your country should be listed. Select your country. 4. The page will bring you updated search results. Copy the URL. 5. Go back to your Wiki sandbox and paste the URL where "URL" is for the SECOND bullet point. It should look like this: *David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection

#3. Old Maps Online Collection
1. For the THIRD bullet point, go to Old Maps Online. 2. Type in your country in the search bar and select the magnifying glass. 3. Make sure the map zooms in on your country and that the right sidebar lists maps for your country. Copy the URL. 4. Go back to your Wiki sandbox and paste the URL where "URL" is for the THIRD bullet point. It should look like this: *Old Maps Online Collection

#4. Library of Congress Maps Collection
1. For the FOURTH bullet point, go to Library of Congress Maps. 2. Type in your country in the search bar and select the magnifying glass. 3. You might have too many search results. To refine and narrow your search, go to the left sidebar. There will be a heading that says, Locations and underneath your country should be listed. Select your county. 4. The page will bring you updated search results. Copy the URL. 5. Go back to your Wiki sandbox and paste the URL where "URL" is for the FOURTH bullet point. It should look like this: *Library of Congress Maps Collection

#5. Norman B. Leventhal Map & Eduation Center at the Boston Public Library
1. For the FIFTH bullet point, go to Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library. 2. Type in your country in the search bar and select the magnifying glass. 3. You might have too many search results. To refine and narrow your search, go to the left sidebar. There will be a heading that says, Locations and underneath your country should be listed. Select your county. 4. The page will bring you updated search results. Copy the URL. 5. Go back to your Wiki sandbox and paste the URL where "URL" is for the FIFTH bullet point. It should look like this: *Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library

#6. Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
1. For the SIXTH bullet point, go to Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. 2. On this web page, there are a few categories of different places and regions. Select a region (Africa, The Americas, Asia, Australia and the Pacific, Europe, The Middle East, Polar Regions and Oceans, Russia and the Former Soviet Republics) where your country is. 3. Select your country from the list. 4. Copy the URL for this page. 5. Go back to your Wiki sandbox and paste the URL where "URL" is for the SIXTH bullet point. It should look like this: *Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

#7. Other Collections
1. For the LAST bullet point(s), do some quick Google searches for other collections. Search for digital map collections from a university library, national archive, or established historical society. Use the table below to guide your decisions on which collections to include:

*** If you ever have a question about what sources you should include, please feel free to send Carly a Yammer message! :) *** If you don't quickly find any other collections, then move onto the next section of instructions.

STEP 3 : Tips for Using Maps
1. If you go to the "Using Maps" section, you should see the following: == Tips for Using Maps ==

Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:

*There are often several places with the same name. You may want to use a  Gazetteer to help you. *The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestor lived there. *Place-names are often misspelled in English sources. Difficult names may have been shortened and important diacritic marks omitted. *Political boundaries are not clearly indicated on all maps. Look for neighboring towns and geographic features to find the area where your ancestor came from. *Boundaries changed over time. Use historical maps to understand boundary changes.

For more tips and information on using maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

=== Finding the Specific Town on the Map ===

To successfully research maps from COUNTRY, you must identify the town where your ancestor lived. Because there are several towns that have the same name, you may need some additional information before you can locate the correct town on a map. Using gazetteers can help you to identify a place's the jurisdiction and help you locate it on a map. See the COUNTRY Gazetteers article for more information.

2. You will leave this section as is except you will replace "COUNTRY" with the name of your country. And then select "Save Page". 3. Double check that you saved it correctly. It should look like the following:
 * == Tips for Using Maps ==


 * Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:


 * There are often several places with the same name. You may want to use a  Gazetteer to help you.
 * The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestor lived there.
 * Place-names are often misspelled in English sources. Difficult names may have been shortened and important diacritic marks omitted.
 * Political boundaries are not clearly indicated on all maps. Look for neighboring towns and geographic features to find the area where your ancestor came from.
 * Boundaries changed over time. Use historical maps to understand boundary changes.


 * For more tips and information on using maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.


 * === Finding the Specific Town on the Map ===


 * To successfully research maps from Mexico, you must identify the town where your ancestor lived. Because there are several towns that have the same name, you may need some additional information before you can locate the correct town on a map. Using gazetteers can help you to identify a place's the jurisdiction and help you locate it on a map. See the Mexico Gazetteers article for more information.

STEP 4 : Types of Maps
1. If you go down to this section, it should look like this:

== Types of Maps ==

Different types of maps help you in different ways, for example:

*Historical atlases describe the growth and development of countries, showing boundaries, migration routes, settlement patterns, military campaigns, and other historical information. *Road atlases are useful because of the detail they provide. *Other types of maps include: parish maps, state maps, tourist maps, topographical maps, and air navigation maps.

To learn more about different types of maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

=== Historical Maps Collections ===

Historical map collections are helpful because they can show you the geography of your ancestor's residence at or around the time they lived there. The following collection is helpful: * [URL COLLECTION NAME] - DESCRIPTION.

2. Under the heading "Historical Maps Collections", add any other historical map collections that aren't already listed underneath the "Online Maps" heading. These would be collections that don't really fit under Online Maps because they are published maps that aren't available online. Or they might be collections that need an additional description or explanation. If you don't have any additional collections, then delete the following: *The following collection is helpful: [URL COLLECTIONS NAME] - DESCRIPTION. 3. But if there is info, don't worry about this section at this point because we'll go over it in PART 4. 3. The last thing you'll do is put in the name of your country where COUNTRY is in the template.

PART 3 : Getting Info off original Wiki page
1. If you are creating a brand new Maps page from scratch, then you may skip this section and move onto the section under  PART 4 : Finishing your page . 2. Go to the original Wiki page to see if there's information there that needs to be added to the updated page. Use this table again to make decisions on what you need to keep:

*** Please Yammer message Carly and she'd be more than willing to help you. :)

STEP 1 : Gazetteers
1. You might find information about gazetteers on these map pages. If you do, copy and paste that info onto the Gazetteers page for your country. It doesn't have to be perfect because these pages will be revamped later. 2. Then, delete the gazetteer info off of your Maps page. Select Save changes.

STEP 2 : Check links
1. Check links to see if they are broken or if you can view them. Don't include broken links. 2. If a link isn't broken, check to see if it's from Google Maps, David Rumsey, Old Maps Online, Library of Congress, Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. If it is, don't include these links. (We already have a link to the website for these because you found them.) 3. Did you find a map that's part of a larger collection of maps of your country? If so, link to the collection as a whole. If not, then just keep the one link as is. 4. We also want to make sure the map is high quality. Is the resolution of the map good or is it fuzzy/pixelated? Is the map detailed? Does the map mostly contain your country or is it of a large region? Link only to maps that are high resolution and include detailed information of your country. (It may be hard to decide/discern with this one. Send Carly a Yammer message and she can help you out.) 5. Now that you have an idea of what links you should keep, go to the heading Historical Maps Collection and use the following template to list links/collections: Historical map collections are helpful because they can show you the geography of your ancestor's residence at or around the time they lived there. The following collection is helpful: * [URL COLLECTION NAME] - DESCRIPTION. 6. Replace URL with the actual link to the collection/map. 7. Replace COLLECTION NAME with the name of the collection/name of the map. 8. Replace DESCRIPTION with explanatory information of the map or collection (if needed). You'll probably find that information on the original page Wiki page. 9. If you need to add more than one link, copy the bullet point template above and use that. 10. Also if you are using more than one link, change "The following collection is helpful:" to "The following collections are helpful:"  This just makes this grammatically correct.

STEP 3 : Information on pages
1. This part is a little more difficult. Use your best judgement to sort leftover information into the sections of "Tips for Using Maps," "Finding the Specific Town on the Map," "Types of Maps," and "Historical Maps Collections". 2. Just add information relevant to your specific country. We already have general information about maps taken care of. 3. Again if you need help sorting through what to include, send a Yammer message to Carly.

PART 4 : Finishing your page
1. After you have finished editing your page, select Save page to save your work. 2. Look at your finished page. Make sure it looks similar to this example. 3. Double check that everything looks alright.
 * Does your breadcrumb look okay?
 * You should have 4 headings and 2 subheadings on your page.
 * Do all your links redirect you correctly?
 * Are any of your links red?
 * Did you get all the information from the original Wiki page that you wanted to include on this new page?

(You might want a second opinion for the first few countries you do. Feel free to reach out to Carly or another missionary working on this project.) 4. If everything looks alright, go back into Edit source in the top left side. 5. Select ALL of the text and copy it. 6. Open a new tab and go to the original Wiki map page for your country. 7. If you are editing an existing page, select Edit source for the original Wiki map page for your country. (If you are creating a new page, past your text directly in the box.) 8. Paste text directly in the box. 9. Select Save page. 10. Don't forget to go back to the Google Spreadsheet! 11. Right click your country's cell under the Finished Map Link column. 12. In the "Text" box, type in Link. 13. in the "Link" box, paste in the URL to your country's finished Wiki Map page. 14. Press Enter on your keyboard. 15. Type in your completion date under the Date Edited column. 16. And you're done!! Great job and move onto the next country. :)