The use of modern IT tools to acquire information about geographical space from archival maps

Rapid technological development observed for many years in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has enabled the application of this system in many areas of life, including: administration, infrastructure management, in environmental protection, spatial planning, in real estate management, in crisis planning and in many branches of industry, including mining. According to [1], the Geographic Information System should be understood as a system for acquiring, processing, verifying, integrating, manipulating, analyzing and presenting data that are spatially referenced to the Earth. It usually includes a spatial database and appropriate software. The article presents an example of obtaining spatial data from archival maps, which are an important, and sometimes even the only source of information enabling tracking changes occurring in the geographical environment and determining the location of objects whose time of using has come to an end. Using the GIS class software, the author made a multivariate calibration of the archival situational and altitude map of the area of the inactive "Saturn" mine. On the basis of the obtained results, she indicated the most appropriate method for this type of task. The map prepared in this way was used to locate liquidated mine excavations connected to the surface. Acquiring reliable information about the location of this type of excavations is particularly important because of the risk associated with the possibility of outflow of gases adversely affecting the atmosphere and thus health of people staying near them (mainly methane and carbon dioxide) as well as due to the possibility of occurrence of so-called discontinuous deformations.