Identification of land system transformations in the Rzeszów city square

The paper presents the results of a comparative study of the land system of the city square and adjacent buildings for Rzeszów in Poland. The study made use of a cadastral map at a scale of 1:2880 and a modern land and building record map. For the purpose of adjusting reference systems, the cadastral map recorded in the form of a digital raster image, in accordance with applicable provisions of polish law (Journal of Laws No. 263 §49), was subjected to a two-stage calibration. The first stage consisted in carrying out initial calibration with the employment of first-degree affine transformation. In the second stage, final calibration was performed using mathematical transformation that considered the distortions detected in the previous stage. The results showed shifts, consolidations, and divisions of land parcels with regard to the present state, and changes to property structure. The proposed method may prove useful for further research on historical urban system morphology, and on restoration and renewal of the urban tissue.