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Dalmatia forms part of the eastern Adriatic coast, and after two thousand years of historical-geographic development, is part of the state of Croatia. The many changes in the historical region’s spatial range and affiliation to various states can be followed on old cartographic depictions, among other things. Given the function of a geographic name, which is to provide the shortest possible linguistic description, optimally replacing in linguistic communication and spatial orientation a (long) description, and given the signifi cance of maps as media for communicating in space and about space, it is possible to confi rm a refl ection of political-geographic shifts in the use of the geographic name Dalmatia by consulting old maps. From a comparative analysis of maps which emerged in different European cultural centres, applying the diachronic approach, it can clearly be seen that during the early modern period, the greatest influence on the depiction of Dalmatia on maps was exerted by a) reminiscences of the classical constitutional law tradition, b) political ambitions and the actual socio-economic influence of Venice on the eastern Adriatic coast, and c) the triple confrontation between the Habsburg Monarchy, the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian Republic in the Adriatic-Dinaric-Danube Basin contact area.

Cartographic collection of the State Archives in Zadar includes several separate funds of geographic maps, navigational charts, cadastral plans and individual cartographic presentations in other archival funds, which makes it one of the richest collections in Croatia. It consists of maps that encompass many periods in the history of cartography, from Middle Ages to present day. Those maps are a valuable source for geographic and historical research related to eastern Adriatic coast and complex historical and geographic changes. On the basis of those maps it is possible to reconstruct the development of cartographic techniques that subsequently enabled more reliable insight into different spatial data. Therefore, it is extremely important to digitalize that rich cartographic heritage in order to make it more accessible and usable, and to save the originals from overuse and possible damages. Unfortunately, so far, systematic digitalization of several hundred old maps has not been made, primarily due to organizational and financial issues. However, for the purpose of setting up the exhibitions Cartography of Zadar and Maritime Cartography organized by Croatian Cartographic Society about fifty old maps were scanned digitally, which was a good foundation for future digitalization. Additionally, partial digitalization was made by using digital cameras, mostly as a part of scientific researches done by several geographers and historians. However, that digitalization was not made by using a unique methodology, so the quality of digital records was not the same, and the possibilities for their use were different. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to conduct a systematic catalogization of the whole cartographic heritage of the State Archives in Zadar, and after that systematic digitalization should be made by using a unique methodology, which includes using the same digitalization technology and unique resolution of digital records. Digitalization should be the result of cooperation between experts from different scientific disciplines, primarily cartography, and then geography and archival science.

In Zadar, one of the oldest and most important cultural and scientific centers in the Republic of Croatia there are numerous institutions which, among else also preserve valuable cartographic heritage. Since for centuries this city had been the administrative centre of Dalmatia, that is the whole South Croatia, which generated various needs of regional administration entities, courts, army, shipping companies, Church, schools and others, a part of important cartographic resources is preserved in Zadar. Due to the efforts of civilian and church authorities and more prominent individuals, it originated mostly from European cartographic centers, but some of the maps were also made in Zadar. The biggest number of old maps, atlases and globes are preserved in the Zadar State Archive and in the Research Library Zadar. Part of the cartographic materials is also preserved in the Archbishopric Library, in the Monastery of St. Francis but also in other monastery collections in Zadar and in Zadar region. Cartographic heritage encompasses cartographic representations of several hundreds units dating back from the 16th century. Most of the cartographic representations show Zadar, certain parts of Dalmatia, the whole Croatian coast and the Adriatic, and there are also comprehensive cartographic works representing the entire – at the moment of their creation known – world (Molleti's edition of Ptolemy's Geography, Coronelli's Atlases, Sanson's Atlases, Homann's and Seutter's atlases and others). Some editions are rare even in the European context, for instance Bordon's isolario, atlas of sea charts Carta di cabottagio del Mare Adriatico and others. Since the cartographic heritage preserved in Zadar is an inevitable source for research of experts from various scientific disciplines (geography, cartography, history, art history, toponymy and others) dealing with the examination of the Croatian Adriatic region, it is of extreme importance to systemize cartographic heritage and enable accessibility of quality digital records. From the technical standpoint, research is facilitated to users, and from the archival standpoint, fragile resources are preserved from wear and tear and various forms of damages.