Valeriia Shurupina
Cartographer
There are many maps of building ages, and I also got interested in designing something similar for one of the Russian cities. The choice was not difficult because Kazan became my second home during my studies there.
Unfortunately, not every Russian city has an open spatial database with unified information on construction years, architects and styles; therefore, the project required searching and integrating data by pieces from different sources.
DATA COLLECTION
Firstly, the geometry of 74.353 objects was obtained using the QGIS plugin - QuickOSM. Each object did not necessarily describe an entire building, it could represent several parts of a single one (the main part of the building, annexes, warehouses). All these parts of a single building had the same address. Therefore, the terms "object" and "building" have slightly different meanings further in the text.
The first data source was the Kazan Housing Fund, providing сonstruction and operation dates of about 5.000 buildings. If there was no construction year, the building was assigned with the operation year. As the data covered only 5.000 out of 75.000 OSM objects, it was necessary to look for other data sources.
The cadastral building passports could be another data source, as they often contain years of construction. The public cadastral map showed that the construction year is indicated for most of the buildings. Thus, using the Rossreestr API requests, we received a table with 155.000 rows. It is important to remember that cadastral objects do not always refer to the whole building and can describe different parts of the same building or an area with several buildings. After filtering the data and leaving only those buildings with an address, year of construction, and fully completed buildings, only 95.000 objects remained. This data source also provided object names, while construction and operations years were used similarly to the Housing Fund (when there was no construction year, the building was assigned with its operation year).
The Ministry of Culture's open data shared information about cultural heritage objects. These objects are usually the most attractive to check on a map. A total of 551 objects with construction dates were extracted for Kazan (not only buildings but also monuments, streets, etc.). The objects also kept names and addresses for further processing.
All the data did not have a spatial reference; consequently, it needed to be geocoded to be shown on the map.
The cadastral building passports could be another data source, as they often contain years of construction. The public cadastral map showed that the construction year is indicated for most of the buildings. Thus, using the Rossreestr API requests, we received a table with 155.000 rows. It is important to remember that cadastral objects do not always refer to the whole building and can describe different parts of the same building or an area with several buildings. After filtering the data and leaving only those buildings with an address, year of construction, and fully completed buildings, only 95.000 objects remained. This data source also provided object names, while construction and operations years were used similarly to the Housing Fund (when there was no construction year, the building was assigned with its operation year).
The Ministry of Culture's open data shared information about cultural heritage objects. These objects are usually the most attractive to check on a map. A total of 551 objects with construction dates were extracted for Kazan (not only buildings but also monuments, streets, etc.). The objects also kept names and addresses for further processing.
All the data did not have a spatial reference; consequently, it needed to be geocoded to be shown on the map.
GEOCODING
Since all the filtered objects had addresses, all three datasets were spatially referenced using a geocoding service and Python. Based on their location matching with OSM objects, referenced objects joined construction and operation years, names, and other attributes from the unreferenced layer.
Unfortunately, many addresses were not accurate enough, or they did not spatially coincide with the OSM objects at the later stage; therefore, quite a large part of the objects was lost. Additionally, there were duplicates in the data representing different ages for a single building. Perhaps, Rossreestr keeps construction dates of each new building constructed at the same address (location), although previous ones were already demolished. As the automated algorithm kept only the oldest years, which worked well for most of the data, duplicates' mistakes were left for a manual fix.
Discarding objects outside of Kazan and attaching all the necessary attributes to the OSM layer, there were:
The Kazan Housing Fund: 5.307 objects
Unfortunately, many addresses were not accurate enough, or they did not spatially coincide with the OSM objects at the later stage; therefore, quite a large part of the objects was lost. Additionally, there were duplicates in the data representing different ages for a single building. Perhaps, Rossreestr keeps construction dates of each new building constructed at the same address (location), although previous ones were already demolished. As the automated algorithm kept only the oldest years, which worked well for most of the data, duplicates' mistakes were left for a manual fix.
Discarding objects outside of Kazan and attaching all the necessary attributes to the OSM layer, there were:
The Kazan Housing Fund: 5.307 objects
From Rosreestr: 35.805 objects
From the Ministry of Culture's open data: 72 objects
Some objects from different sources overlapped; therefore, we set layer priorities. The Kazan Housing Fund was first to take construction years from, then the Ministry of Culture's data, and Rosreestr. After a common merge of the datasets and slight manual editing of information, the map included 37.104 objects.
ANALYSIS
In 2005, Kazan celebrated its millennium. The oldest stone buildings are about 450 years old, belonging to the second half of the 16th century. One of them is the Cathedral of the Annunciation at the Kazan Kremlin territory. Its construction was completed in 1562, and it is one of the few buildings whose dates are precisely known, which is why it was taken as the oldest building in Kazan.
The graphic shows that the most active construction years fell in the 20th-21st centuries. The number of buildings constructed per year could reach 1.300 in the 1950s and 2010s.
The graphic shows that the most active construction years fell in the 20th-21st centuries. The number of buildings constructed per year could reach 1.300 in the 1950s and 2010s.
An unusual increase in construction in 1901 and 1917 is presumably related to all buildings' revision, which means all buildings with unknown construction dates were assigned to these two years.
COLOR SCHEME
As other similar projects show, the color scheme should preferably progress from warm to cold hues. Along with it, the map should depict its uniqueness and character using its "city colors." Those colors could be taken from remarkable architectural structures, building illumination, city flag and symbol, and even transport.
At first, the standard QGIS Viridis color scheme matched pretty well. It was clear that the map needed a gradation to green and lilac shades, describing green colors of the Äcem and Soltan mosques, the inner hall of the Nurulla mosque, the illumination of the Farmers' Palace and the Söyembikä Tower, trolleybuses, as well as the violet illumination of the main wedding palace "Chalice".
Viridis
At first, the standard QGIS Viridis color scheme matched pretty well. It was clear that the map needed a gradation to green and lilac shades, describing green colors of the Äcem and Soltan mosques, the inner hall of the Nurulla mosque, the illumination of the Farmers' Palace and the Söyembikä Tower, trolleybuses, as well as the violet illumination of the main wedding palace "Chalice".
Viridis
Kazan also has many blue shades, for example, in Kul Sharif mosque, Kazan Cathedral, the Annunciation Cathedral, the Pyatnitskaya and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Churches.
Additional research on existing color palettes brought some Esri examples:
Purple and Brown 2
Additional research on existing color palettes brought some Esri examples:
Purple and Brown 2
Purple and Brown 3
Purple and Brown 4
Photos of the city's residents and guests were a huge source of inspiration. Links to their works are under the photos.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
After searching for photos and combining their colors and shades, the map got the following color scheme:
The city's legendary symbol Zilant shared its colors with a basemap, showing buildings with unknown construction years, water and land areas.
As a result:
Another exciting solution was a color scale division by historical periods and eras. This approach was already used for the Moscow buildings' ages map by Strelka Mag. However, Kazan was observed at a more global scale, not focusing on the heads of the city; therefore, there are six periods:
1592 - 1917 pre-revolutionary Russia
1917 - 1924 Lenin
1924 - 1953 Stalin
1953 - 1991 Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, Gorbachev
1991 - 2000 Yeltsin
2000 - 2020 Putin, Medvedev
1592 - 1917 pre-revolutionary Russia
1917 - 1924 Lenin
1924 - 1953 Stalin
1953 - 1991 Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, Gorbachev
1991 - 2000 Yeltsin
2000 - 2020 Putin, Medvedev
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In addition to the visual component of the web map, additional information was attached. By clicking on a building, the side pop-up menu shows the architect or author of the building project, architectural style, photo, and links to other sources.
Since Kazan does not have a single unified data source about architects and architectural styles, it was challenging to find and automate this data collection and display. Therefore, it was added manually to some of the buildings at the map preparation stage. We hope for user's enthusiasm to edit and fill in all the missing information (this also applies to the year of construction, photos, and links).
The photos of buildings for the pop-up window were taken from Wikimapia users. They were downloaded and added using API requests. For those who want to read more about buildings' history, two additional fields were added with links to Wikipedia and other possible sources.
Since Kazan does not have a single unified data source about architects and architectural styles, it was challenging to find and automate this data collection and display. Therefore, it was added manually to some of the buildings at the map preparation stage. We hope for user's enthusiasm to edit and fill in all the missing information (this also applies to the year of construction, photos, and links).
The photos of buildings for the pop-up window were taken from Wikimapia users. They were downloaded and added using API requests. For those who want to read more about buildings' history, two additional fields were added with links to Wikipedia and other possible sources.
POSTER
The transition from the fiery historical center to the young periphery in green and lilac looked cosmic and begged for a poster. The poster was based on the same color scheme and division by historically essential periods.
Preparation of the poster was another joyful process, exporting SVG layers from QGIS and importing them into Adobe Illustrator. The laptop continually froze, uploading and processing all these heavy files. It could take an hour to wait for the action to be performed, whether it was a text movement, layer cut with a mask, or even a simple selection of objects. In total, the map took another few weeks, but it was still fascinating, and the result was worth it.
Eventually, the poster, sized 50x70 cm, is available for order here in three versions: in a poster tube, on a foam board, or framed.
Preparation of the poster was another joyful process, exporting SVG layers from QGIS and importing them into Adobe Illustrator. The laptop continually froze, uploading and processing all these heavy files. It could take an hour to wait for the action to be performed, whether it was a text movement, layer cut with a mask, or even a simple selection of objects. In total, the map took another few weeks, but it was still fascinating, and the result was worth it.
Eventually, the poster, sized 50x70 cm, is available for order here in three versions: in a poster tube, on a foam board, or framed.
A smiling lady from Printful is holding a virtual poster
THANKS TO
● My co-author Nikita Slavin who inspired me with his Saint-Petersburg successful example and invited to be a part of the team, designing buildings' ages maps for Russian cities. He helped, supported, and advised on any issue throughout the entire process;
● Favorite International Master's programme in Cartography, without which I would not have had so many like-minded people, faith in myself, and desire to create;
● All my friends and colleagues whom I contacted to ask something or get advice at different stages of the project!
● Favorite International Master's programme in Cartography, without which I would not have had so many like-minded people, faith in myself, and desire to create;
● All my friends and colleagues whom I contacted to ask something or get advice at different stages of the project!
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Privacy Policy | Политика в отношении обработки персональных данных
1. Общие положения
Настоящая политика обработки персональных данных составлена в соответствии с требованиями Федерального закона от 27.07.2006. №152-ФЗ «О персональных данных» и определяет порядок обработки персональных данных и меры по обеспечению безопасности персональных данных Славин Никита Михайлович (далее – Оператор).
- Оператор ставит своей важнейшей целью и условием осуществления своей деятельности соблюдение прав и свобод человека и гражданина при обработке его персональных данных, в том числе защиты прав на неприкосновенность частной жизни, личную и семейную тайну.
- Настоящая политика Оператора в отношении обработки персональных данных (далее – Политика) применяется ко всей информации, которую Оператор может получить о посетителях веб-сайта http://how-old-is-this.house/.
2. Основные понятия, используемые в Политике
- Автоматизированная обработка персональных данных – обработка персональных данных с помощью средств вычислительной техники;
- Блокирование персональных данных – временное прекращение обработки персональных данных (за исключением случаев, если обработка необходима для уточнения персональных данных);
- Веб-сайт – совокупность графических и информационных материалов, а также программ для ЭВМ и баз данных, обеспечивающих их доступность в сети интернет по сетевому адресу http://how-old-is-this.house/;
- Информационная система персональных данных — совокупность содержащихся в базах данных персональных данных, и обеспечивающих их обработку информационных технологий и технических средств;
- Обезличивание персональных данных — действия, в результате которых невозможно определить без использования дополнительной информации принадлежность персональных данных конкретному Пользователю или иному субъекту персональных данных;
- Обработка персональных данных – любое действие (операция) или совокупность действий (операций), совершаемых с использованием средств автоматизации или без использования таких средств с персональными данными, включая сбор, запись, систематизацию, накопление, хранение, уточнение (обновление, изменение), извлечение, использование, передачу (распространение, предоставление, доступ), обезличивание, блокирование, удаление, уничтожение персональных данных;
- Оператор – государственный орган, муниципальный орган, юридическое или физическое лицо, самостоятельно или совместно с другими лицами организующие и (или) осуществляющие обработку персональных данных, а также определяющие цели обработки персональных данных, состав персональных данных, подлежащих обработке, действия (операции), совершаемые с персональными данными;
- Персональные данные – любая информация, относящаяся прямо или косвенно к определенному или определяемому Пользователю веб-сайта http://how-old-is-this.house/;
- Пользователь – любой посетитель веб-сайта http://how-old-is-this.house/;
- Предоставление персональных данных – действия, направленные на раскрытие персональных данных определенному лицу или определенному кругу лиц;
- Распространение персональных данных – любые действия, направленные на раскрытие персональных данных неопределенному кругу лиц (передача персональных данных) или на ознакомление с персональными данными неограниченного круга лиц, в том числе обнародование персональных данных в средствах массовой информации, размещение в информационно-телекоммуникационных сетях или предоставление доступа к персональным данным каким-либо иным способом;
- Трансграничная передача персональных данных – передача персональных данных на территорию иностранного государства органу власти иностранного государства, иностранному физическому или иностранному юридическому лицу;
- Уничтожение персональных данных – любые действия, в результате которых персональные данные уничтожаются безвозвратно с невозможностью дальнейшего восстановления содержания персональных данных в информационной системе персональных данных и (или) результате которых уничтожаются материальные носители персональных данных.
3. Оператор может обрабатывать следующие персональные данные Пользователя
- Электронный адрес;
- Также на сайте происходит сбор и обработка обезличенных данных о посетителях (в т.ч. файлов «cookie») с помощью сервисов интернет-статистики (Яндекс Метрика и Гугл Аналитика и других).
- Вышеперечисленные данные далее по тексту Политики объединены общим понятием Персональные данные.
4. Цели обработки персональных данных
- Цель обработки персональных данных Пользователя — информирование Пользователя посредством отправки электронных писем; предоставление доступа Пользователю к сервисам, информации и/или материалам, содержащимся на веб-сайте.
- Также Оператор имеет право направлять Пользователю уведомления о новых продуктах и услугах, специальных предложениях и различных событиях. Пользователь всегда может отказаться от получения информационных сообщений, направив Оператору письмо на адрес электронной почты nslavin@gmail.com с пометкой «Отказ от уведомлениях о новых продуктах и услугах и специальных предложениях».
- Обезличенные данные Пользователей, собираемые с помощью сервисов интернет-статистики, служат для сбора информации о действиях Пользователей на сайте, улучшения качества сайта и его содержания.
5. Правовые основания обработки персональных данных
- Оператор обрабатывает персональные данные Пользователя только в случае их заполнения и/или отправки Пользователем самостоятельно через специальные формы, расположенные на сайте http://how-old-is-this.house/. Заполняя соответствующие формы и/или отправляя свои персональные данные Оператору, Пользователь выражает свое согласие с данной Политикой.
- Оператор обрабатывает обезличенные данные о Пользователе в случае, если это разрешено в настройках браузера Пользователя (включено сохранение файлов «cookie» и использование технологии JavaScript).
6. Порядок сбора, хранения, передачи и других видов обработки персональных данных
Безопасность персональных данных, которые обрабатываются Оператором, обеспечивается путем реализации правовых, организационных и технических мер, необходимых для выполнения в полном объеме требований действующего законодательства в области защиты персональных данных.
- Оператор обеспечивает сохранность персональных данных и принимает все возможные меры, исключающие доступ к персональным данным неуполномоченных лиц.
- Персональные данные Пользователя никогда, ни при каких условиях не будут переданы третьим лицам, за исключением случаев, связанных с исполнением действующего законодательства.
- В случае выявления неточностей в персональных данных, Пользователь может актуализировать их самостоятельно, путем направления Оператору уведомление на адрес электронной почты Оператора nslavin@gmail.com с пометкой «Актуализация персональных данных».
- Срок обработки персональных данных является неограниченным. Пользователь может в любой момент отозвать свое согласие на обработку персональных данных, направив Оператору уведомление посредством электронной почты на электронный адрес Оператора nslavin@gmail.com с пометкой «Отзыв согласия на обработку персональных данных».
7. Трансграничная передача персональных данных
- Оператор до начала осуществления трансграничной передачи персональных данных обязан убедиться в том, что иностранным государством, на территорию которого предполагается осуществлять передачу персональных данных, обеспечивается надежная защита прав субъектов персональных данных.
- Трансграничная передача персональных данных на территории иностранных государств, не отвечающих вышеуказанным требованиям, может осуществляться только в случае наличия согласия в письменной форме субъекта персональных данных на трансграничную передачу его персональных данных и/или исполнения договора, стороной которого является субъект персональных данных.
8. Заключительные положения
- Пользователь может получить любые разъяснения по интересующим вопросам, касающимся обработки его персональных данных, обратившись к Оператору с помощью электронной почты nslavin@gmail.com.
- В данном документе будут отражены любые изменения политики обработки персональных данных Оператором. Политика действует бессрочно до замены ее новой версией.
- Актуальная версия Политики в свободном доступе расположена в сети Интернет по адресу http://how-old-is-this.house/policy.
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. It is Nikita Slavin's policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect from you across our website, https://how-old-is-this.house/, and other sites we own and operate.
We only ask for personal information when we truly need it to provide a service to you. We collect it by fair and lawful means, with your knowledge and consent. We also let you know why we're collecting it and how it will be used.
We only retain collected information for as long as necessary to provide you with your requested service. What data we store, we'll protect within commercially acceptable means to prevent loss and theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.
We don't share any personally identifying information publicly or with third-parties, except when required to by law.
Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and practices of these sites, and cannot accept responsibility or liability for their respective privacy policies.
You are free to refuse our request for your personal information, with the understanding that we may be unable to provide you with some of your desired services.
Your continued use of our website will be regarded as acceptance of our practices around privacy and personal information. If you have any questions about how we handle user data and personal information, feel free to contact us.
This policy is effective as of 1 May 2020.
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