Method for Automated Georeferencing and Integrating Printed Maps in GIS for Collecting Addresses

Abstract

Addresses are important data for urban applications. About 80% of the information local authorities use have a geographic component that is generally related to addresses. Addressing systems efficiency depend on the quality of addresses locators. There are several methods to collect data. Surveys from the field are essential: GPS and pre-printed maps can be used to achieve this goal. GPS surveys from the field may be a solution, but it remains practical only for limited areas. To insure an accepted accuracy, GPS methods need special considerations that are time and money consuming. For Casablanca’s addressing locators, an alternative approach was adopted to collect 400 000 points. It took two months, 200 operators and 3500 printed maps to cover a study area of1,226 km 2 . This paper is to develop an optimized approach based on automated procedure for reintegrating printed maps in a geographic information system (GIS). It saves georeferencing time from 5min to just seconds per document. It insures, more importantly, an accuracy that is between20 cmto1 mfor scales that are between 1/500 and 1/2500. It ensures maps’ integration, independently of base map and coordinates system by introducing the notion of Georeferencing Code (GC).