Your historic preservation group has access to many free online mapping tools that you can use to encourage the exploration of and appreciation for your community's historic resources.

Online mapping technologies allow you to compile geographic data into a virtual site map. These virtual maps are different from digital versions of historic maps. You can use various mapping tools to customize your map with captions, images, audio, and more. Your historic preservation group could  use online mapping tools to create an interactive virtual tour of a historic site or building in your community.

Create a Virtual Tour with an Online Map

How to Create a Custom Google Map

Learn more about how to create a custom Google map using Google Maps Engine Lite.

Online mapping tools allow you to geotag multiple locations on a map by "pinning" them. You can also upload a photo or document, pin it to a location on the map, and add a caption. By pinning multiple locations to the same map with associated content, you can create a customized virtual tour of a geographically defined site or area. Some online mapping tools will also allow you to add audio files to create an audio-guided virtual tour.

Historic preservation virtual tours typically lead the online visitor through a sequence of historic buildings or sites in a particular geographic area, such as a historic district or neighborhood. The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation uses a Google map to display the starting and ending points and routes of its neighborhood architecture tours. 

The Preservation League of Staten Island placed a pin on a Google map for each historic structure on Staten Island that has been landmarked. Each pin links to a PDF document of the official decision that created the landmark. As new landmarks are designated, the organization adds them to the map.

Consider How You Will Use Your Online Map

Before you start using online mapping tools for your historic preservation work, consider these questions:

• How will you use a virtual map? Before you venture into new virtual territory, identify how you will use a virtual map to enhance your advocacy work. Research the ways other advocacy groups have used online mapping. Some potential points of interest on your advocacy map might include preservation properties, historic neighborhoods, or preservation success stories.
• How will users access your map? You should also consider how people will access your map. Ideally, you should offer your map in more than one format. You can offer an interactive tour for people using a mobile device and a low-tech version for people who don't want to fuss with new tools. For these people, you can offer a simple web page or a PDF to print out and take with them in person on their tour.
• Do you have the data you need to create a virtual map? If you already have location information for your sites of interest, mapping them will be simple. If not, you'll have to plan a bit more time for your project to gather the mailing addresses of the locations you'd like to add. If you are linking to web pages, photos or videos, be sure you get the most up-to-date URLs to avoid broken links.
• How much time can you devote to a virtual map project? Even if members of your group do not have a lot of computer expertise, you can still create a basic online advocacy map. A basic project will likely take between one and 10 hours, depending on how much data you plan to upload. More complicated projects might require programming and design skills, project coordination, narratives, and data analysis that could take months to implement.
• Do you have the resources to keep your map up to date? Your time commitment to your online mapping project doesn't end when your map is published. You or someone you designate will need to keep the map updated when links break or information changes. You also may want to add or change the locations on your map. Check your map yearly to make sure the content remains up-to-date and free from errors.

Evaluate Different Online Mapping Tools

Depending on how you plan to use and publish your online mapping project, you might consider using one of the online mapping tools described below.

Google Earth

Google Earth is a free, widely used satellite image-based online mapping tool that allows you to post information onto an online map. Since Google Earth is so widely used, there is a lot of user help information available online. If you're new to Google Earth, check out these learning guides:

• The Official Google Earth User Guide

• Google Earth Video Tutorials

• Google Earth Outreach Tutorials

• Google Earth Community Forum

Panoramio.com

A community-driven site that allows users and visitors to explore places through photography. When you geotag your photo to a place, it becomes part of a collection of photos associated with that place and uploaded by other users. Photos posted to the site cannot include people — only places.

History Pin

Another community-driven mapping site that strives to create a digital history of the world. Users can "pin" their photos to a location and time on a global map. You can learn about History Pin by watching the videos offered on the History Pin YouTube channel.

Flickr

A popular photo-sharing website which now offers geotagging capabilities. You can tag images with geotags and city keywords to place their locations on a map. The advantage of using Flickr is the ability to share your content with a user base of millions.

Woices

An online mapping tool short for "world voices," allows users to create geo-localized audio guides known as "walks." You can geotag your audio files, called "echoes," to a map, and then add images with captions to each echo on your walk.

Enhance Your Online Map with a Historical Map

If you have an experienced staff or the funds to hire a professional web designer, you could make a more specialized online map. You can add a historical map, such as one of the historical plat maps available from the University of Wisconsin, as the background image of your customized online map.

The Friends of Historic Third Lake Ridge, an all-volunteer group in Madison, Wisconsin, used a historic neighborhood plat map to create an interactive map and virtual tour of the city's Marquette neighborhood. When a user clicks on one of the numbered blocks in the map, the user is taken to a new page containing historical information about that block. The online map highlights a substantial amount of digitized historic information and images collected by the group over many years.

Learn More

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