Geography of WWI sites along the Italian frontby means of GIS tools

Paolo Plini, Giuliano Fontinovo, Sabina Di Franco, Rosamaria Salvatori

ConsiglioNazionale delle RicercheIstituto InquinamentoAtmosferico

1st International Conference

New Advanced GNSS and

3D Spatial Techniques

Trieste, Feb. 20th 2016

… however, the man who busies himself with the description of the Earth

must needs speak, not only of the facts of the present, but also

sometimes of the facts of the past, especially when they are notable.Strabo, Geography VI.1.2 (64 a.C. - 19 d.C.)

Who?A CNR-IIA research project supported by

the Italian Presidency of the Council of

Ministers.

Why?Realize a unique repository for geographic information dealing with WWI events

along the Italian front;

Develop a tool to manage this information and localise places (base 1:25.000);

Allow public access to information;

Create vector and raster to be used for the production of thematic maps and for

others applications and projects.

What?An integrated system to identify, file, manage

and disseminate the geographic information

about the places involved by the First World War

along the Italian front.

Where?http://luoghigrandeguerra.iia.cnr.it/http://luoghi.centenario1914-1918.it/?tipoluogo=teatrihttp://webgis.iia.cnr.it/GGGIS/

When?Start: end of 2013

End: March 2016

(will continue to be updated)

How?Multilingual: Italian, Slovenian, German and local language/dialect;

Taking into account multiple names, miswritten names, errors;

Developed using an open source GIS platform;

Published through an online GIS.

Documents

Maps

1:100.000 maps of the front line by the

Italian Military Geographic Institute

One of the special issues of 1:25.000 maps of

battlefield areas by the Italian Military Geographic

Institute

Software

Open source GIS software

Web Map Services

OpenLayers Data

Elements of Physical GeographyPeakMountain passMountain ridgeMountain groupSpot elevationGlacierPlace nameValleyDolinaWoodIslandLakeRiver

Waterfall

Spring

Civilian InfrastructureInhabited placeBuilt structureRailway stationChannelPumping plantBridgeRoad

Trail

Quarry

Military InfrastructuresFortStrongholdEmplacementTrenchTrenched lineMilitary roadArtillery batteryObservatoryVillage of warGalleryBunkerCableway

Elements of military operationsVariations of front lines

Cemeteries and MemorialsCemeteryMonumentMemorial

Categorisation

La cima del Sass de Stria

> Borders and Front Lines

foto d'epoca da: http://www.moesslang.net e http://www.lascuolaalpinagdfsiamonoi.it/repartialpini/Trento/legionetrento.html

Forte Monte Interrotto (IT)

Forte Monte Lisser (IT)

Forte Verena (IT)

Forte Luserna (A-U)

Forte Dossaccio (A-U)

Forte Haideck (A-U)

Forte Someda (A-U)

Forte Campolongo (IT)

Batteria "Amalfi"(IT)

Forte Verle (A-U)

> Battle of Forts

Location of Italian and Austro-Hungarian forts along the 1915 border

> Battles along rivers Identified places:• Isonzo > 800

• Tagliamento > 120

• Piave > 400

> Battles along the Isonzo Front (Soška fronta)

1st, 2nd battle VI-VII-VIII 19153rd, 4th battle X-XI, XI-XII 19155th battle III 19166th battle VIII 19167th, 8th, 9th battle IX, X, X-XI 191610th battle V-VI 191711th battle VIII-IX 1917

12th battle (Caporetto) 24.X.1917

L'Isonzo a Caporetto

2150 identified places (height > 1200 m a.s.l.)

> War in the mountains

Immagine del modello digitale delle elevazioni con sovrapposte le cime di altitudine superiore a 1.500 m. s.l.m. posizionate lungo il confine del 1915 e interessate dagli eventi bellici.

Il Passo della Sentinella tra la Croda Rossa di Sesto e Cima Undici

Le Tre Cime di Lavaredo dal Monte Piana

3D Data visualisation

Castelletto e Tofane (BL)

> Air Forces in WWI

251 airports

• 113 Italian Air Force

• 75 k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppen

• 63 It. A.F. k.u.k. after Caporetto

> The remembranceQuesta notte fra Redipuglia e Oslavia,si riaccenderanno i fuochi sopra le alturedove tante volte la battaglia si spense nel sanguee sarà un fluttuare di ombre intorno ai bivacchiperché all’estremità dell’oblio hanno freddo anche i mortiCarlo Delcroix

S. Stefano di Cadore

Oslavia

Timau

Redipuglia

Erma della III Armata

Exhumation zones of the 11 unknown soldiers

Bligny

Aquileia

> Same places, different problems

> Same place, different names

> Results

5900 identified places(Feb. 2016)

http://luoghi.centenario1914-1918.it/?tipoluogo=teatri

http://luoghigrandeguerra.iia.cnr.it/

> Dissemination

> http://webgis.iia.cnr.it/GGGIS/

MS4Wp.mapper 4.3Web Map Services

paolo.plini@cnr.it