Early modern maps: To what extent are they metrically accurate?

Abstract

A mathematical similarity transformation is often applied to the study of metrical accuracy of early maps. Accidental major errors of some points in the early map affect the mean accuracy index of the map to a large extent. Therefore, here we propose to exclude these major errors until we made the similarity transformation. Finally we calculated the local inaccuracies of the cluster points. At this rate we obtain a more realistic and optimal expression of the map deformation. The latter is illustrated by some early maps of the County of Flanders. The Pourbus map (1571) becomes a much higher accuracy result (340 m) in comparison with the Flanders map of Mercator (1540) and Ortelius (1570) having an accuracy of respectively 815 m and 1,020 m.

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