The New York Public Library's Map Warper project uses the ability of the 'crowd' to help digitize the library's wonderful collection of historical maps. The New York Library's Building Inspector is roughly other 'citizen science' tool that allows anyone to help the library position edifice footprints on the library's maps.
Recently the Building Inspector has added the alternative for volunteers to uncovering as well as annotate the types of businesses labelled on its historical maps. This novel alternative has already begun to pay dividends.
NYPL Labs' Mauricio Giraldo has created an interactive searchable map of the iii G strange house names as well as thence far collected from the library's 1855 maps. The 1855 New York Business map shows the place of mid-19th Century New York businesses.
You tin filter the types of concern shown on the map using the drop-down menu. You tin also utilisation the search purpose to display specific types of business, for representative 'brewery'. The map provides a fascinating insight into life inwards 19th Century New York, a basis where at that topographic point were far to a greater extent than churches than offices (I wonder if that's withal truthful inwards 21st Century New York).
