History, digital humanities and cartography. The graphic rendering of the Bourbons’ cadastre in the first half of the 19th century

This paper deals with the analysis of urban space through thematic rendering based on descriptive cadastral data sources. As evidence for this case study we have chosen the Contribuzione Fondiaria del Comune di Catania for the year 1843. This approach aims to demonstrate how the transposition in cartography of space data of a historical nature, in order to produce useful and readable maps, can be also undertaken through technological instruments other than those of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Starting from these considerations, the cartographic results will attempt to provide a new method of interpreting urban space, highlighting the existing connection between the data obtained from the sources, and to develop new concepts in order to define, qualify and interpret them.