Data Visualization with Map Timeline - Duke University Construction
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/maptimeline/duc/
This project links metadata and photos related to the construction of Duke University through a map and a timeline. It was created for the Duke University Libraries Digital Collections Program.
It was built by Andy Hull, a developer who recently left Duke University Libraries to work at a Think Tank in DC. Sean Aery and Will Sexton now maintain this.
Technology Used:
It uses a mixture of open source JavaScript Libraries:
- MapTimeline: http://code.google.com/p/maptimeline/
- MapTimeline synchronizes the OpenLayers map api with MIT's SIMILE Timeline.
- OpenLayers: http://openlayers.org/
- SIMILE Timeline: http://www.simile-widgets.org/timeline/
- MapBox: http://mapbox.com/#/
- jQuery: http://jquery.com
Data:
Data is served from a handcrafted JSON file:
- http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/media/js/maptimeline/data/construction1.js
- date
- location (lat and lon coordinates)
- Title
- Description (sometimes includes links to other pages)
- image
- link to image (links in title)
Data sources:
Images and Metadata: Most, if not all, images and metadata came from our collections.
- Construction of Duke University Digital Collection (display of images within the map timeline from this source is temporarily broken due to a recent change in our Digital Collections infrastructure)
- Duke Yearlook Flickr photostream from Duke University Archives.
Coordinates: So, how did Andy know where to put the markers on the map?
- Duke University GIS Layers: http://library.duke.edu/data/collections/gis/duke/index.html
- Tips for working with .kmz / .kml files: KML FAQ
- On OS X, you may need to use a third party utility like The Unarchiver (available through the Mac App store) to unzip the .kmz file
- Google Geocoding API: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/geocoding/
Presentation by Thomas Crichlow