Wikipedia:Graphics Lab/Map workshop/Archive/Dec 2024

Map request of Auckland region local government areas

Hello, I'm requesting a map of the former local government areas in the Auckland Region based on a map contained in this source: (page 30) Traumnovelle (talk) 07:24, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

@Traumnovelle, did you try to find a digital version of the map yourself? If so, which sources did you already check?
I've searched a bit more info, but I'm not familiar with NZ sources and border changes, so I hope that others can take the job on. I've made maps in the old days with paper and a lightbox, and not every drawer was as precise, so the old map might contain a few faults as well. A good "1967-borders-alike" source would save a lot of drawing time.
  • Maybe https://www.stats.govt.nz/ does have downloadable maps and data, maybe there are more suitable govt.nz sources;
  • Perhaps there's a special add-on tool available for QGIS like PDOK for the Netherlands.
Here are a few maps on Commons. Some borders are recognisable, but many have changed, like the south part of the Auckland region: The old map also stretches onto a piece of current Waikato + Hauraki (gather those sources if you use modern maps to reproduce the old).
Groetjes, Peter (talk) 12:07, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
You mean a digital version of a map of counties and boroughs of the Auckland region? That is probably the best image of them I can find. The maps you've provided show completely different boundaries to the old local government areas which haven't existed since 1989. I didn't suggest a specific map of Auckland because I don't see one on Commons best suited for the task: would be best if higher resolution but the low resolution may cause issues with drawing boundaries.
The old map probably isn't perfect but the only other material are physical maps and maps of the specific borough e.g.: are mostly undigitised, even if they all were it'd be an incredibly tedious task although I am happy to provide as many of these individual maps as I can find if one were to seriously want to try and get the borders as precise as that. Traumnovelle (talk) 18:56, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
Thanks for the feedback. The detailed maps are indeed a bit too much for this request. They might be an interesting input for the Historical OSM project. It's good to know we're talking about pre 1989 boundaries. It might give a lead. There must be enough GIS shapefiles to choose from as a base map. Groetjes, Peter (talk) 22:48, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
I don't know what a GIS shapefile is or where to begin with digital cartography. I don't mind attempting it myself, I just don't believe I have the technical ability to do so. Traumnovelle (talk) 22:56, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
Don't hold yourself back by thinking it is as difficult as it used to be. These programs are really getting easier to use. For instance, the free program I use, QGIS, has its own installation and (try yourself/follow along) user training manuals on docs.qgis.org. That means you can make simple files yourself today. I've used a bunch of tutorials on YouTube, particularly to learn things that looked very difficult, but turned out to be simple by following the lead.
QGIS is a great addition to GIMP, Inkscape and Scribus (free alternatives to Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign). You can for instance make a map in QGIS and then export it to Inkscape to make it look better. Shapefiles connect dots, just like a vector program like Inkscape does. You can start to learn Inkscape skills for instance through Logos by Nick on YT, by just spending 5 to 30 minutes a day. By taking little steps, you can progress into other free programs like QGIS, and if you still enjoy the process, end up using Blender for 3D animation and films.
A GIS works with coordinate-related data: points, lines, polygons = shapes. When you define a point/line/shape, you can add data to them. It's like making an Excel-table or cascading style sheet.css stick to a drawing. Save the map you've made and it creates a set of different files: data-base-files.dbf, project.prj, shapes.shp and a few others. You can easily download loads of data from reliable sources, like the LINZ Data Importer for NZ government data. A lot of shapes have already been traced by others, so you can simply load them in and use them and already available data to make presentations.
I tried to see whether I could quickly make a background map, that you might use in inkscape. It's easier to drag and drop an image in Inkscape, scale it (locked dimensions) down to a size you want, and then start retracing the lines. The New Zealand sources of satellite images, shape files etcetera are available, but you have to ask for a set of different access keys to a few government information providers. Downloading a satellite map went very fast, but for shapes and such I'll have to ask a key. I'll look into that this weekend. (Are you faster?) ;D Groetjes, Peter (talk) 12:20, 11 December 2024 (UTC)

12 Tribes of Israel


Article(s)
various
Request

Would it be possible for someone to create a second version of this map with an overlay of modern-day borders to help readers in determining the location of the areas? Thanks! --2001:871:22B:D255:BDAF:A32C:C862:E0CC (talk) 21:38, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

Discussion
Wouldn't that risk endless disputes on current topics? Without references to current locations, this map should be free of such disputes. If it's important to have something else for geographic awareness, perhaps it could be expanded southward to include Ezion-Geber, so you can see how far the highlighted areas extend into the Negev. Nyttend (talk) 00:55, 13 January 2025 (UTC)
@Nyttend: you're right about the disputes (it's a mixture of WP:OR and WP:PIA). I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. M.Bitton (talk) 01:26, 13 January 2025 (UTC)
{{stale}} per above. – Isochrone (talk) 22:52, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

Request: Military Frontier map fix


Article(s)
History of Croatia
Request
Hello, can someone please fix this map, as it incorrectly shows that Slavonian Military Frontier is Croatian Military Frontier. The area on the map where there is acronym C.M.F. should instead have written S.M.F. (Slavonian Military Frontier). Thanks a lot. -- Franjo Tahy (talk) 13:08, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
Discussion
This map is similar to the map of the Kingdom of Slavonia to the right, which has the same C.M.F. indication, and a long list of referenced sources in its description. It seems like the borders didn't change a lot in the range of a few centuries. Can you link to reliable sources that prove the above map should indeed be altered? Groetjes, Peter (talk) 13:36, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
Hello Peter. That map is also partially wrong. Most of the sources to which this map refers cannot be opened. Others, that can be opened, such as this or this show inprecise map. I will now link to Proleksis Encyclopedia which shows the correct map, just for the reference, although I have to point out that they have a copyright mark on their page. This is their map.
Their map shows Military Frontier in 1745. Area marked in blue is Croatian Frontier (Hrvatska krajina), area marked in purple is Ban's Frontier (Banska krajina). Area marked in brown is Slavonian Frontier (Slavonska krajina), as its purpose was defending the territory of Slavonia from the Ottomans. It is all quite logical. Slavonian Frontier was buffer zone between medieval Slavonia and the Ottoman Empire, while Croatian Frontier was buffer zone between medieval Croatia Proper and the Ottoman Empire. You can also see on this map where medieval Slavonia (Szlawonia) was and where medieval Croatia (Horvat Kiralysag) was. It is logical therefore that their military frontiers (few centuries later) were just east of them. Franjo Tahy (talk) 12:41, 15 December 2024 (UTC)

Asian flags map - Syria

{{resolved}}

Article(s)
Any article this is already on.
Request
Could someone please modify the above map so that the Syrian flag is updated to the (de facto) new national flag, also provided above? Thanks. Snow Lion Fenian (talk) 00:19, 26 January 2025 (UTC)
Discussion
@Snow Lion Fenian  Done – Isochrone (talk) 11:30, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
@Isochrone: Thank you! Snow Lion Fenian (talk) 13:20, 28 January 2025 (UTC)