Track: Ecology, Conservation, and Archaeology
Development of a GIS for Long-Distance Historical Trails
Brian CarlstromYesterday a significant part of American history unfolded along the routes and ruts of the California, Pony Express, Mormon Pioneer, and Oregon trails. Today the National Park Service has incorporated these trails into a GIS to help better manage these national historic treasures. Collectively these trails traverse all or parts of eleven states, meandering for over 8,000 miles along a myriad of primary and secondary routes, cutoffs, shortcuts, and spurs. Over the past three years a 3 GB GIS database has been developed to aid in the management of these four long-distance historical trails. This paper explains the methodologies, techniques, and routines used to bring conservation of the historic trails into the twenty-first century.
Brian Carlstrom
National Park Service
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
USA
Telephone: (303)987-6653
Fax: (303)987-6679
E-mail: bcarlstrom@nps.gov