OpenHistoricalMap is a collection of open geospatial data. Except where otherwise noted, OpenHistoricalMap data is dedicated to the public domain under a Creative Commons CC0 dedication. To the extent that what you use is in the public domain, you are free to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt it for any purpose, without any restrictions.

The OpenHistoricalMap database incorporates some individual map features under copyright. These features are available under an open license, such as Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) or Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA), as noted in license=* tags on individual elements. To the extent that you use any significant portion of the database that is covered by a “share alike” license, you should respect the terms of this license in your own adaptation.

The map styles featured on our homepage are dedicated to the public domain under a CC0 dedication. You are free to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt them for any purpose, without any restrictions.

Our documentation is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license (CC BY-SA 2.0).

How to credit OpenHistoricalMap

Although copyright law does not restrict or place any conditions on your use of public domain content, we greatly appreciate any credit you provide to OpenHistoricalMap when reusing, adapting, or otherwise using our maps or data.

You may present this acknowledgment in any reasonable manner. For example, on a digital map, you can mention OpenHistoricalMap in fine print in the corner, linking to this copyright page or our homepage:

Or you can include a clearer acknowledgment on a separate credits page where you credit other sources:

Map data courtesy of the OpenHistoricalMap project, in the public domain unless otherwise noted.

On a print map, you can place the acknowledgement in the legend. In a book, you can describe your use of OpenHistoricalMap in a footnote, bibliography, or colophon. In an academic paper, you can cite us in various manners depending on what you used.

Finding out more

Learn more about the legal considerations when using our data, and how to credit us, on the OpenStreetMap Wiki.

Acknowledgements

OpenHistoricalMap is the collaborative effort of thousands of individuals and organizations, who in turn draw from a large body of scholarship, journalism, and recordkeeping. Our most substantial sources and contributors include:

• Data about coastlines, bodies of water, and streams © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0.
• Data from the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, a project of the William M. Scholl Center for American History and Culture at The Newberry Library, which is available for reuse without restriction.
• Data created by the ANR COMMUNES project in collaboration with The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structures.
• Additional sources and contributors are available on the OpenStreetMap Wiki.

The map styles featured on the homepage contain OpenHistoricalMap data and the following sources:

• Natural Earth datasets in the public domain.
• Land cover from GlobCover, © ESA 2010 and UCLouvain, available for reuse for educational and/or scientific purposes with attribution.
• Terrain elevation data from Danielson, J.J., and Gesch, D.B., 2011, Global multi-resolution terrain elevation data 2010 (GMTED2010): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011–1073, 26 p. Public domain.

Inclusion of data in OpenHistoricalMap does not imply that the original data provider endorses OpenHistoricalMap, provides any warranty, or accepts any liability.

Copyright infringement

OHM contributors are reminded never to add data from any copyrighted sources (e.g. Google Maps or printed maps) without explicit permission from the copyright holders.

If you believe that copyrighted material has been inappropriately added to the OpenHistoricalMap database or this site, please contact the OpenHistoricalMap team with TAKEDOWN REQUEST in the subject line.

Trademarks

If you have questions about your use of the OpenHistoricalMap name, please contact the OpenHistoricalMap team.