# Roads and cities of 18th century France

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1509.09055 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.09055/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 Sep 2015.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Combining Deep Learning and Mathematical Morphology for Historical Map Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.02144/) (2021)
- [Segmenting France Across Four Centuries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.24824/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The evolution of infrastructure networks such as roads and streets are of utmost importance to understand the evolution of urban systems. However, datasets describing these spatial objects are rare and sparse. The database presented here represents the road network at the french national level described in the historical map of Cassini in the 18th century. The digitization of this historical map is based on a collaborative methodology that we describe in detail. This dataset can be used for a variety of interdisciplinary studies, covering multiple spatial resolutions and ranging from history, geography, urban economics to network science.