SUMMARY
The central theme of this article is the application of Geographic Information Systems, gis for short, as an instrument for spatial research into historical country estate landscapes aimed at increasing knowledge about historical layout, spatial coherence and development over time. This kind of research can focus on individual country estates in their immediate surroundings (house, garden, park, landscape), but can also be applied at the regional scale, where ensembles of several country estates are looked at in conjunction with their landscape context. gi s is generally seen as a powerful instrument for geographic data processing and cartography; its analytical merits are often overlooked. There are national and international examples of historical– geographical, landscape–archeological and landscape–architectural research in which the analytical qualities of gis have been used to acquire and enrich historical knowledge. Although there has always been and still is considerable interest in country estate landscapes, gis has been used only occasionally in this kind of research and very little has been written about it. This article seeks to demonstrate the potential of gi s in this kind of research with reference to a number of applications in country estate research inside and outside the Netherlands, thereby contributing to the development and dissemination of knowledge in this field and helping to fill the knowledge gap between country estate research and the possibilities afforded by geoinformation technology. To this end it describes and illustrates some of the ways in which gis can be used as a research instrument. These include data gathering, the use and processing of available analogue and digital sources as well as cartometric source analysis, measurement and correction of deviations in historical cartographic material in the interests of reconstruction. gis-based analyses of the spatial structure and coherence over time from horizontal (from inside) and vertical (from above) perspectives feature prominently in the article, together with different forms of representation such as maps, virtual landscapes and 3D prints. The article shows that the use of the processing power of computers, in combination with inventive data gathering and modelling, analysis and visualization in an interactive process with the user, makes it possible to acquire and enrich information and knowledge about historical country estate landscapes. gis effectively extends the researcher’s observation via measurements, simulations and experiments, and opens new perspectives on the situational and cultural-historical aspects of country estates, which can play a part in value assessment and decisions regarding the use and management of these living green monuments.