Download pdf - Hohensinner 2013: GIS-reconstruction of river landscapes

University of Natural Resources & Life Sciences Vienna

Department of Water, Atmosphere & Environment I Institute of Hydrobiology & Aquatic Ecosystem Management I Severin Hohensinner 24.06.2013 1

Two steps back, one step forward: Reconstructing the dynamic Danube riverscape under human influence in Vienna Severin Hohensinner 8th Water History Conference International Water History Association Montpellier, June 25-29, 2013

Institute of Hydrobiology & Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG) University of Natural Resources & Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) & Centre for Environmental History Vienna (ZUG)



Contents

Integration of historical information into the GIS reconstruction (examples from 16th century)

Using historical landmarks and data on bridges

Georeferencing historical maps and plans

Regressive-iterative reconstruction method (GIS)



Nußdorf

2010 Current situation

City

B. Lager & S. Hohensinner (2012)


Department of Water, Atmosphere & Environment I Institute of Hydrobiology & Aquatic Ecosystem Management I Severin Hohensinner

Austrian Science Fund Project „ENVIEDAN“, Grant No. P22265-G18

Project leader: Verena Winiwarter ZUG – Centre for Environmental History Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt

ENVIEDAN – „Envirionmental History of the Viennese Danube 1500–1890“

B. Lager & S. Hohensinner (2012)



Historical sources

Ostendorfer & Formschneider (1539): Heerschau 1532

Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape Main components

Fluvial forms & processes

Hydraulic constructions



Integration of historical sources into the reconstruction: Niclas Meldeman (1530) – Landmarks in 1529

City wall/towers „Schlagbrücke“

„Taborbrücke“

„Nußdorf“

?



Accreting bank

Cut banks in older

river terrace Backwater

? Cut bank

Integration of historical sources into the reconstruction: Niclas Meldeman (1530) – Fluvial structures in 1529



Short bridge

„Schlagbrücke“

„Taborbrücke“

„Nußdorf“

?

„Wolfsbrücke“ W. Schmeltzl

Distance in 1547/48:

ca. 3900 – 4000 m

Integration of historical sources into the reconstruction: C. Stainhofer & H. Mayr (1566) – Landmarks in 1563



Useful landmarks: Archaeological

findings of bridge remains

Historical descriptions: lenghts & locations of bridges

Wolfgang Schmeltzl (1548)

Distance in 1547/48: c. 3900 – 4000 m

„Schlagbrücke“

„Nußdorf“

Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape



Useful landmarks: Historical property

borders (location, dating) Administrative/

jurisdiction borders (“Burgfriedsgrenze”) Dating / location of

boundary markers

(Source: Opll et al., 1984)




Overlay map: L. Anguissola & J.J. Marinoni 1704/06

Octavio Waldegara (1577) Longitudinal section through „Untere Werd“

O. Waldegara (1577)

„Schlagbrücke“

„Taborbrücke“ 1704



Overlay map: L. Anguissola & J.J. Marinoni 1704/06

Base map: Reconstruction 1570

Octavio Waldegara (1577) Longitudinal section through „Untere Werd“

O. Waldegara (1577)

„Schlagbrücke“

„Taborbrücke“ „Augarten park“

1704



lengths of bridges: => measure for flow capacity of river channels

bridge length = bankfull width of channel = ca. 1-year flood at Danube in Vienna

Main bridges

Tabor bridge

Wolf bridge

Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape Using bridge lengths



Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape Locations of bridges



Using historical landmarks

Vienna c. 1570




Clausniez, T. (1601), Oesta/FHKA F 245

Nußdorf

Tabor arm

Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape Interpreting and georeferencing old maps

Historical cartographer mapped the Danube how they perceived the importance of the individual channels => not always correct in the geographical / topographical sense



Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape Georeferencing



Kreuzung • absolute Referenzpunkte

(langfristig stabil)

• relative Referenzpunkte (kurzfristig zw. zwei historischen Situationen)

Georeferencing historical maps

Clausniez, T. (1601), Oesta/FHKA F 245

Bridges & road in 1601

„Schwarze Lacke“



Reconstructing the dynamic riverscape Georeferencing



1. Georeferencing of scanned maps starting from the current situation => going backwards in time step by step

2. Vectorization (GIS) starting from the current situation => going backwards in time (regressive approach)

3. Revision (GIS) of vectorized younger time situations based on new information gained from the older time situations (iterative approach)

Regressive-iterative GIS-reconstruction From a point in time to a time series



2010

1849

1726

Start

regressive: step by step

backwards in time

24.06.2013 21

Regressive-iterative GIS-reconstruction



2010

1849

1726

Start

1632 regressive: step by step

backwards in time

iterative revision forwards in time

24.06.2013 22

Regressive-iterative GIS-reconstruction



Synthesis

Regressive-iterative reconstruction method enables: (1) a better evaluation of historical spatial information in respect of geographical positioning and of the content (2) a better identification of fluvial processes and human interferences

Integration of river morphological considerations enables: (1) additional conclusions on historical riverscape transformation not shown by the sources (2) conclusions on potential consequences of hydraulic measures on fluvial dynamics

Reconstruction of the historical riverscape: true-to-life reconstruction can not be achieved => „best approximation“ of a historical state of the riverscape


Department of Water, Atmosphere & Environment I Institute of Hydrobiology & Aquatic Ecosystem Management I Severin Hohensinner 24

Severin Hohensinner Institute of Hydrobiology & Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG) University of Natural Resources & Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) & Centre for Environmental History Vienna (ZUG)

Austrian Science Fund Project „ENVIEDAN“ Project-No. P 22265-G18 Project leader: Verena Winiwarter, ZUG – Centre for Environmental History, Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt

Virtual flight to Vienna around 1570 A.D.