Hi, I'm Delaney Resweber.
And I'm Shelby Sencindiver.
We are geospatial analysts with Dewberry,
based in our Fairfax, Virginia office.
And this is our project story.
The Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office,
also known as SHPO,
took the initiative to document the locations of their
state’s cultural assets in the form of an interactive map.
The intention of the map is to geospatially visualize,
and make accessible, documentation of Connecticut's
historical and cultural resources.
These sites are divided into two major categories:
one, above ground resources,
which include historical trails,
monuments, buildings, cemeteries,
and other aboveground sites,
and two, archeology sites or below ground resources.
Dewberry was brought onboard to help organize
these assets and build the map tool,
we were tasked to review the office's physical documentation
and make an easy interactive map
that could organize and visualize the resources.
This project started when close to 150 boxes of documents
from the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office,
arrived at our doorstep in Fairfax.
Wearing masks and disposable gloves due to the pandemic,
we teamed up to scan the documents to make a digital copy,
extract the data from the documents,
and then enter into a database.
We then used a three-step geolocation process
to obtain the coordinates
for projection into the final web app product.
In several cases, we performed document cleanups
to adjust the color or readability.
In some instances, documents were so physically large
that a large scanner was required
to capture the entire image.
Once scanned, the documents were saved as PDFs
so they could be easily searched using keywords.
One major challenge we encountered was to navigate
and to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to the global pandemic,
Dewberry would have sent team members
to scan and digitize documents on site in Connecticut.
Due to the pandemic, team members came into the office
to check out boxes
and take them home to scan,
while some team members
opted to work in the office
following CDC and OSHA guidelines.
To ensure the project was not delayed,
we created a detailed quality control process
so remaining team members knew what documents
had to be scanned.
And where each one was during the documentation process.
Once all the documents were scanned and catalogued,
we turned our attention
to developing the interactive map.
A unique feature of the map was the development
and integration of a map tool using ArcGIS.
This tool allows for the advanced navigation
and filtration of historic data.
This feature would make it easier for the user
to find resources quickly.
For example,
the tool can be used to look up
items in the National Register,
a federally recognized list of cultural resources
worthy of preservation.
Because of their significance to American life.
The tool can be used to run
queries or filters that display their resources by
town, time period, style, and historic designation status.
Additionally, the resources included in the map
are color coded for ease of navigation.
The web application creates an accessible tool
for visualizing cultural resource data
for a variety of audiences,
ranging from cultural resource professionals,
to academics, to the general public.
There's something special about assisting
the preservation of local history and digitizing it
so that the information can be preserved
and referred to for the long term.
Working on a project like this requires patience
and attention to detail.
The project team and the staff
of the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office
worked collaboratively together
and developed professional relationships
that made the job exciting to work on.
We are delighted to have the opportunity
to help the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office
and the public help preserve the state's unique cultural history
and offer an easy and interactive way to access
key historical information for years to come.