West Virginia GeoExplorer Keith Alexander and Christy Toms Shepherd University

Main Goals of the Project Put historic maps online Create a digital reference library Set up a searchable database of primary source materials Create and make available online a series of digital map layers of historic resources

WVGP Website Content Management System – Dotnetnuke – Why a CMS? Can quickly create a website Allows volunteers/staff on project to collaborate on website Control whether pages are public or private – How to choose a CMS: Meets needs of the project Learning Curve

Searchable Database Type of database: – Access converted to MySql Programming Language: – ASCX with C# (language of the CMS– Dotnetnuke) Start with the basics Finding help with the programming side – Programming students can be great but very few have the level of experience or time to work on the project

Browse Resources Allows researchers to view resources used to create WVGP database and GIS Maps – GIS Portal Links the WVGP GIS Server – Books Use coding from Google Books – Photo Browser Use Gallery module that comes with CMS – Map Gallery Use Adobe Zoomfly

West Virginia GeoExplorer Website

Jefferson County map in Geoexplorer GIS Includes Historic resources and national register properties layers

Rattlesnake Run/ Taylor’s Run An area of early settlement in jefferson county

Cold Spring A National Register listed historic house

Kindale Valley Mill

Barns

Land Grant Layers Annual layers from

The first land grants, thomas shepherd’s purchase of the land that would become shepherdstown

Other tools for analysis on website Measuring tool

Other tools for analysis on website Buffers

Time in a GIS A GIS that can fully handle time should be able to address at least 3 different kinds of issues: Changes to an object over time Changes in an object’s spatial distribution over time Changes in temporal relationships among multiple phenomena

Thanks to: Bill Theriault Tori Myers Christie Ence Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission West Virginia Humanities Council