The first geodetic map of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany georeferencing and applicated studies

In the 1830s and 1840s Giovanni Inghirami created a map with a 1:100,000 scale, using and updating the maps of the geometric cadastre of land parcels; there are two manuscript versions of this map preserved respectivtly in the Geographic Military Institute of Florence and the National Archives in Prague. This project, however, was accepted by the Lorraine government, only after the 1848 revolution, when the Military Topographic Office was founded. This office was only able to begin the operation for a portion of the northwestern territory of the Grand Duchy. After making the Chorography map of Tuscany, in the scale of 1:200000 (1830-1831), the astronomer, surveyor and cartographer Giovanni Inghirami invented a larger scale topographic map; he based his invention on the French Cassini model because the map could be better applied to the needs of urbanistic and territorial policies. This is an extraordinary cartography (representation), able to provide useful documentation to anyone (geographer, historian, architect, urban planner etc.) who wants to study the territory with geo-historical purposes. The georeferencing of this map was made with use of the Carta d’Italia produced by the Geographic Military Institute of Florence, during the preparation of the Tuscany Regional Government Landscape Plan, has revealed extraordinary potential applications. In fact, the georeferencing allows one to identify the landscape-territorial organization and specific historical themes (settlements, roads, river basin planning, municipal administrative boundaries, toponymy, etc.) that developed during this extensive period, almost until the national unification. Such content can be used to prepare government plans for territorial management in order to preserve and enhance cultural and landscape heritage.