Lives of the 1st World War Project - Website Interface Wishlist/Ideas

[Sunnylew75]

As we are at an early stage of the progression of the Lives of the First World War project, and our input has been requested, I thought it might be an idea to start a discussion of our own ideas of what would be a good way of displaying or interacting with information on the forthcoming website.

A mass of information is simply a mass of information if it's not easy to visualise the data, so the interface will be extremely important.

I don't think there can really be any right or wrong answers here, and of course there's no claim on the IWM to follow on with our suggestions, but I'm sure that Luke S and the others at IWM would be interested in our ideas.

If nothing else it might give someone here an idea for their own site.

To start things rolling, I guess the most obvious starting point for design in this case is the Mapping Our ANZACs site: http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au

They have a link to service records for each man which is cross-referenced to a map which shows place of birth and of recruitment. There is also a "Scrapbook" feature where people can create stories of a person's life.

The drawbacks with this platform, so far as I can see, are a lack of source linking in the scrapbook page, and the limitations of the map option - just place of birth and location of enlistment.

Mapping is something I'm quite interested in, and I'm fairly sure that with Google's API it would be possible to link locations of a man's life to a timeline, where one could watch their movements throughout the war - as detailed or not as those who have added sources to the man can be.

Locations for a man could be linked to the movements of his company over time, where nothing more is known - and if locations from war diaries were entered it would enable people to view troop movements on a much wider scale as well.

Obvious drawbacks to this idea - accurate locations and actual data entry.

Generally speaking it goes without saying that data entry will be an ongoing process by people that are interested, and will bear fruit eventually as the mass of data increases - sort of the whole idea behind the site.

For accurate locations, I know that there is a gazetteer of the Western Front that was created by a member of the forum - perhaps negotiations could be made to integrate those locations?

Any thoughts from anyone else?

[lukesmith]

Hello LBV,

Belated thanks for your contributions. We are certainly considering all the aspects of functionality and design you've identified. I don't have any specific responses at this stage, except to say that these are all good points and we are listening! I'd welcome other contributions on this thread.

many thanks,

Luke (Smith)

IWM

[Sunnylew75]

Something probably in the realms of wish list only, but a wonderful resource if it was possible - an overlay of trench maps and historic aerial photos onto the current os map/google map.

Norfolk council have done an incredible job on their Map Explorer website - http://www.historic-maps.norfolk.gov.uk.

They have overlaid the Tithe, enclosure 1882 OS, and 1946 and mid 90's aerial photos for the whole of Norfolk. Each map is on its own layer, and there is the ability to set an opacity for each so that you can easily compare the changes over time.

I can imagine the uses of several iterations of trench maps to show the movements of the lines throughout the war.

Undoubtedly a monumental task, but something worth wishing for.

[Guest Kevin O' Connor]

Hello out there.

I am doing research on a project that comes under the cultural and educational sector of the World War One Commemorations.

The main focus of my research concerns the men who are commemorated on a memorial tablet at Stonethwaite in Borrowdale. Cumbria; or Cumberland as it would have been during WW1.

The information and material gathered will form part of a number of dramatic and theatrical interpretations created by the North Cumbria Scrip Writers as their contribution to the cultural events planned for the next four years.

Please feel free to become involved in this activity; all suggestions welcome.

Kevin

[hooge1]

Hello out there.

I am doing research on a project that comes under the cultural and educational sector of the World War One Commemorations.

The main focus of my research concerns the men who are commemorated on a memorial tablet at Stonethwaite in Borrowdale. Cumbria; or Cumberland as it would have been during WW1.

The information and material gathered will form part of a number of dramatic and theatrical interpretations created by the North Cumbria Scrip Writers as their contribution to the cultural events planned for the next four years.

Please feel free to become involved in this activity; all suggestions welcome.

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

There was a exhibition at the Borrowdale Hotel in 2011 on men from Borrowdale who served and died in the Great War link here.

Regards

Nick