Even though being considered outdated, historical maps are a big resource which facilitates learning about a place in a precise point at a certain time. These maps are significant in the location of places and enhance acquisition of knowledge of the place and its neighborhood. Historical maps together with other relevant resources like census records, land records, tax list amongst other are important in facilitating the view of information in a different angle (Collier, Inkpen, & Fontana, 2001). For instance, it can help locate missing people. These historical maps help to shed light on how the area of concern was like earlier before in the past.
Air photos are valuable since they serve as splendid base maps used to mark sites, findings and as well features. Air photos usually provide more precise and accurate survey plotting outcomes more than topographic maps (Collier et al., 2001). They are useful in site assessment because they facilitate locations to be identified and foster for the change of features that might be no more visible. For instance, I witness a group of constructors using air photos to mark the edges of the site that the building was to be built as the initial step.
Moreover, to determine the development patterns of an urban center, air photo is utilized to quantify the extent of changes in the area. However, use of historical maps and air photos have been extensively integrated with the digital geospatial sources. Digital images have been used to support and sustain historical maps and air photos through scanning in order to store the historical data in soft copy for a sustainable use. Moreover, air photos have been supported by GIS through the use of satellite live images. Historical maps have been backed up by Google Earth to help locate places.