The team developed a tool to archive and collect local history in the Boston area. The project aims to foster a conversation about the development around a specific historic site by creating a geospatial data archive.
In addition to preserving and collecting historical data in one place, through this web application, the project anticipates people to gain an understanding of the neighborhood and its history. They can start a conversation based on the insight. It will also engage residents and provide a learning experience. The Collective History project also offers a new lens to see their neighborhood and understand the potential conflicts.
Collective History web application has features as follows:
– When users click the pinpoints on the map, they can see and add the stories and photos related to the corresponding locations. Data collected from community members and publications are curated and parsed into each entity. The project currently has two data types, and users can use the filter to make specific data types appear on the map.
– There is also an option to filter the data type and see overlapped old maps of the region. On the bottom right corner, users can adjust the opacity of the map of the Boston area in 1839 and learn more about the city’s change over time.
– The project aims to incorporate the user input as well. The “Add to the History” tab is on the sidebar for users to add their own versions of stories. The team recognized the importance of collecting and recording the oral and local history of the community. (The feature is still in development.)
You can access the web application (our artifact) from this link: Artifact
Artifact Slide Deck: