EXPLORING THE GLOBE ONLINE TAKES ON NEW PROPORTIONS

Renowned Private Map Collection Now Available on the Internet

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 21, 2000
A series of maps published in 1814 documenting Lewis and Clark's trek across America is part of a renowned map collection now available for high resolution viewing over the Internet.

More than 2,300 rarely viewed maps from the David Rumsey Collection are available for broader scholarship and public exploration, expanding access beyond the map rooms and academic libraries where large map collections are typically shelved. The site, www.davidrumsey.com, utilizes Luna Imaging's powerful Insight® software to bring this private collection to the public.

"When you can see all the maps, globes, charts, atlases in one space, you can start to get a sense of how maps grow from one another in time," said Rumsey, whose 150,000-map collection is steadily being introduced on the Internet. "By having them online, I hope to recreate this sense of connection between maps and history."

Focusing on 18th and 19th century North and South American cartographic materials, the collection has grown over 20 years and includes rare atlases, globes, school geographies, maritime charts and a variety of separate maps including pocket, wall, children's and manuscript maps. Digitization of the collection began three years ago by Rumsey's company, Cartography Associates, primarily to make the collection accessible and usable. In their original form, the maps and atlases can be large and unwieldy.

Using the Insight® interface, viewers are free to explore the collection of high-resolution digital images without a magnifying glass, a pair of protective cotton gloves or permission from the owner to view this private collection. Researchers may also explore the maps without having to travel, and only need Rumsey's permission to reproduce images from the collection for commercial use.

Researchers, students or map enthusiasts can use Insight® software to efficiently search the collection catalogue and then zoom, pan, print and do side-by-side comparisons. Unlike other on-line image collections that are constrained by low resolution or extensive downloading times, Rumsey's collection of high-resolution digital images can be quickly accessed and easily managed. The collection is accessible in two formats on the web site. It can be viewed using Insight® on a standard browser such as Explorer or Netscape. The Insight® java client can be downloaded for researchers and those desiring advanced software functionality.

"Having this map collection and the Insight® software to explore it really delivers on the promise of the Internet, providing powerful tools for personal exploration of an incredible resource at any time, from anywhere," said Michael Ester, president and founder of Luna Imaging.

Close inspection of the maps can reveal the rise and fall of towns, mining excavations, the unfolding of railroads and the "discovery" of the American West by European explorers. The collection also includes European imprints containing maps of the Americas that were influential to American cartographers, as well as maps of other parts of the world distinguished by great craftsmanship, significance and beauty.

The David Rumsey collection is one of the most extensive private map collections of its type. The website collection is expected to increase to 5,000 images by the year’s end, growing to 10,000 the following year. With the appearance of www.davidrumsey.com, the collection is available to the general public for the first time.

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