Exploring Digital Heritage

I’ll freely admit that I had a hard time focusing this week. I made it through learning more about the x-ray tool and then got majorly distracted.

Firstly I was on task distracted as I made my way through and read a lot of Tim’s various websites. The redaction thing is seriously amusing and being an artist myself I found it particularly interesting. The fact that someone put their own spin on an otherwise boring job speaks to me in many ways.

I then proceeded to be distracted by RecordSearch — People Inside for Greasemonkey. I did not read all of it but quite a bit of it. My favourite part was The Real Faces of White Australia. I love reading about the history of Australia in general but I got more than just an interesting read from this site. I like the grid format of the page and how the information pops out when you click on it. I would actually like to use this method of showing information for my project.

This prompted me to become distracted by my project. I started looking at how I could get a similar effect with the free theme I was using. Obviously it’s not possible, but it could be, if I knew the right coding and spent some money on it.

My project is intended to be a website that incorporates maps and data to list the different public artworks from all over Australia. The part of the project that is being submitted is for the states of Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Western Australia (WA). Both are displayed in different formats and show off the different ways of displaying the information as well as what has been learned through this project. The ACT page is complete while the WA page is simply an example of another way of completing the project. The homepage is also complete and a full menu exists.

This project aims to be a comprehensive and easy to read website for the average heritage and art fanatic who wishes to explore the public art close to them. The website is also a reference point for those who have found a public art work and wish to know more about it.

The project taught me a lot about data entry, html coding, the use of tools such as CartoDB, Google Spreadsheets, Google Maps, WordPress and more. Once these tools had been successfully embedded into the page they worked well and I was very pleased with the result.

However getting to the point of success was difficult. The WordPress help page and forums became a constant guide for me. One example involves the attempt to insert tables into the ACT page. Without the purchase of plugins, the table had to be crafted from scratch. Eventually a website was found that could convert CSV into HTML code and then I was able to simply copy and paste the table into the page. However there was still some formatting issues. The description did not fit unless it was placed on its own line. I had to copy and paste code before and after each description to create the desired affect you will see on the ACT page.

Another problem involved the CartoDB map. When I copied and pasted the embed code provided by Carto, WordPress would only publish the link. Through the help pages and forums I was able to learn that WordPress and Carto actually work together so well that I didn’t need an embed code and could just copy and paste a link to the map and it would have the desired effect.

My biggest problem arose when I realised there were certain things I knew could be done that I couldn’t do because they would require me purchasing a plugin, domain or widget. If I wanted to do anything outside the free theme I had chosen, I either had to find the right code or find an alternative.

The project was a success. This project has taught me what I can do and how I can do it. Even though it is not there yet, it could be there in the future. The possibilities are almost endless and that makes it successful. On the other hand the project achieved what it aimed to achieve. It is slowly becoming an interactive and easy to use website that shows the user where all the public art is in Australia. Whilst being far from completion, I hope to continue this project into the future, combining the formats I have used for both WA and the ACT to complete the WA page, as well as the rest of the states.

 

Future Plans:

While unfortunately incomplete, the website has taught me enough about the tools required that I can go ahead and finish the website. I have also learned what I can achieve if I did purchase my own domain and plugins. At the moment at the bottom of the ACT and WA pages you should find a “return to top” link. This is a simple code I wrote into the HTML tab of the page. However if you purchase a certain plugin, you can insert a widget that allows a similar “return to top” button to scroll with you as you scroll down the page.

Another interesting tool would be one that allows you to link the map pointers to the relevant information. That way you could just click on the map pointer and it would display all the information below the map or take you to another page with all the information on it.

Another widget that I am interested in inserting into my website is one that allows the user to comment and contribute to the website. Currently on the “User Contribution” page you will find something along those lines. This is only the free version however, and the paid version is a lot more sophisticated. I chose to do the ACT page because it had the most amount of information out of all the states. However I wish to make it so that each artwork has an image attached and more information about the artist, origin and inspiration of the artwork.

I would like to learn more about online mapping software’s such as Google Maps. I want to be able to do more with the maps to the point where a person could simply click on the map and it would give them directions to the artwork. I am already exploring this and you can find an example of this through the “Bessie Rischbieth Statue” link on the WA page. Unfortunately, however, for the maps to work you need to be logged into a Google account. I would like to be able to access direction through Google maps without being having a Google account.

Also on the Bessie Rischbieth Statue page you will find that when you click on the blue marker it shows you all the information and a description. I am going to leave the basic information there and move the description and other information below, out of the map field. I think this will have a cleaner look.

I have really enjoyed this project and have learned a lot more than I expected. This project has been a very successful one and I am very proud of what has been achieved.

Please feel free to have a look: https://kathrynoerlemans.wordpress.com/

My project is essentially a genealogy and family history tool for people who are descended from the Davis family in Yass to use and read new information on their ancestors. The project is presented on OMEKA which is an excellent tool for displaying their category. In this case I used the database Trove to find a number of newspaper articles from throughout the history of Yass. These articles all relate to family names which are mentioned in the Davis family book From A Little Acorn, such as Davis, Garland, and Buckmaster. The articles cover a series of three separate subjects and these are the collections that the project consists of Deaths and Marriages. Each given item within these collections has the newspaper article typed out as well an image or multiple images of the newspaper article as well as a link to Trove for further reading and investigation for those curious to learn more. The aim for the project is that people who are descended from the family and people who are interested in the history of Yass and Heritage New South Wales can utilise this resource that brings together large amounts of data and information on this historical family without having to explore numerous different sites to find out information. As well as this members of the family can use it to find out interesting information and stories about their ancestors they would not be able to find from a family tree book. The general aim can be stated as to educate and increase the knowledge of people about their family history and with this potentially give them a better understanding of who they are and where they fit into the historical town of Yass’s history as well as the level of influence their family had upon that.

There is always a lot to learn when you are doing a project like this which is planned to display information and that is due purely to the fact that you are reading so many facts and newspaper articles full of information. As someone who is descended from this particular family in Yass I personally learnt large amounts of information about my own family. For instance, one of the featured newspaper articles discusses a murderer who is a member of the Davis family, something that I have never heard mentioned or been told about during family events or when reading about family history. As well as this I have learnt a great deal about Trove itself and about how at times when you are searching for a very specific thing there can be a large number of completely irrelevant pieces of information which surface themselves during the process. That was definitely one of the key difficulties I found when searching for newspaper articles, there were several instances where I would search for a last name and Yass and would get in return an article which would be discussing the two things but they would be relating to two separate topics. Another problem I found was that sometimes technology can be very unreliable and isn’t always available when you need it. On one of the days I had free from University I went to use Trove and found that it was not working that day due to technical difficulties which meant I was behind on where I wanted to be on my project that day. As well as this there seems to be some issues between the transfer of the image of the newspaper article to being written out next to it, this is why I have included images as well as some sources just don’t make any sense in the way they are written on Trove. Apart from those factors there were definitely aspects that went well OMEKA turned out to be a wonderful platform for my project and it displayed the collections and the data in a way no other site could have done and it also allowed me to enter in any relevant information so that if need be people could do further research on their own.

From my own assessment, I think that my project is more successful at meeting my aims than I had originally thought it would be. It really displays everything that I need displayed and allows me to show not only the written information but the visual information of the item. As well as this I can put a priority on the items that I think the people using this tool will find most fascinating. I was unsure as to whether I would really be able to find enough newspaper articles that would be interesting and engaging for an audience but once I began searching amongst the whole history of all the family names I could find huge amounts that will be really useful to everyone. I think overall though it really does meet those original aims which were to essential give members of the Davis family a reference tool to discover more information about their family and particular stories about their ancestors. As well as this my two collections were able to come to fruition thanks to the wide variety of articles found on Trove. Considering the main aim was really to give people a greater understanding of their family history I think this project definitely exceeds any expectations that I truly had for it overall. There are of course some things that I wish I could have been able to add in and some aspects that would have really enhanced this project for the user. It would have been excellent to be able to go through the family tree book and try and find every individual mentioned throughout but logistically that was not a feasible option so I instead had to choose a number of really prominent surnames from throughout the book and find the relevant sources. As well as doing that it would be an interesting future project to see if it were possible to use other aspects of Trove such as the photography and other categories to see if I could potentially find images of the ancestors and create a collection piece for this, however, it is hard to find the time to incorporate all these other aspects. There are certainly a number of avenues this project could be taken down but this particular version is definitely an excellent starting point if someone so wished to work furth

This is my last post on the class blog before the end of the unit. I’d just like to thank everyone for a wonderful semester, through the ups and the downs. There were things I got in an instant (success!) but there are also things that still baffle me, with more questions to be answered and possibilities to be explored!

But after everything I’ve learnt a lot and I’m excited to have had new experiences and to have gained new skills and knowledge.

Tim, thank for all your help and support with making the vision for my project a reality.

This is my longest post yet, so see the reflection on my project below the cut!

Over and out,

Jacinta?

Continue reading “Final Post – Reflection on my Digital Heritage Project ?”

This unit has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone. Technology is not at all one of my strengths. I have however enjoyed learning about the links between heritage and technology in ways that I have never even thought about before.

My favourite part was looking at over the weeks how different museums have adapted to online technology. The one that stands out to me is how helpful it is for the Smithsonian to have 3D reproductions online. Even though you cannot touch it physically it means an object such as a jug can be seen again as a object that was used and seen from all angles rather than an object on a pedestal.

I also learnt further how to use Trove which is not something I had never really used before. I mainly use it now for looking up old knitting patterns.

Although I don’t think I would have chosen this unit as an elective (mainly because as a I said before it is completely out of my depth) I still have enjoyed learning new skills that have given me a bit more understanding for the direction that digital cultural heritage is going.

When typing archives into the Queensland Government website it came up with mostly the water levels for coastal towns in Queensland. When I looked at the archives for the town of Cardwell they only had records from 1996 to the present. This means that you can’t do a really comprehensive big graph on the water levels for the town.  Much to my amusement the files only had one view each.

Overall I found this week to be a bit hard for me because of the amount of technical jargon. It usually takes me twice as long and two reads to understand for me how you can scrape and clean data. Even then I still don’t think i will fully be able to explain it.

 

This week was interesting because it reflected a more cultural side of the internet. The conversation about the different results of professional and unprofessional hair for women was thought provoking. and informative. I think that it is easy to forget how much the internet caters to our own personal interests based on our previous searches. Even two people from the same backgrounds and beliefs can have vastly different sources available to them on the internet.

Out of all the recommended readings the one that I enjoyed the most was “Feminism and the Future of Library Discovery” Feminist History is always of particular interest for me so I really enjoyed reading about how Feminist Historians are tackling histories past histories to make it more relevant and accurate for women.

From the historical point of view this week I really enjoy looking at the maps that show historical events such as the forced migration of enslaved people in the USA. It is interesting because it shows with much more drama about how far and how many people were forced to migrate than by simple just telling people.

This week is relevant to my assignment as I am planning on putting a map graph for my assignment. The system that i am using to create the website does not have graph systems for it but it is easy for me to understand which is important for me because creating a website is for me completely new. I am still not 100% sure on what program to use for the map but this week has pointed out to me some potential problems that I could encounter and what to look out for.

I haven’t had much experience with seeing 3D images in museums. I think that in the future that it might become quite a interesting way to create exhibits. Something that I envision when i think of grand scale 3d imaging is that it could be used in a way to project a replica image of a building where the building had been. This would mean that people visiting would be able to walk through the image while also being able to see it from afar. Also having a 3d image of an object means that the viewer will be able to see the object from all sides and the bottom rather than just a front on vision of the object. The Smithsonian museum having the 3D images of some of their objects meant that you could see the creators markings on the bottom of their ceramics which I think is very informative for someone who wanted to study the object but can’t see the object in person.

The most groundbreaking use of 3D technology recently is when the Institute of Digital Archaeology were able to recreate through photos of the recently destroyed Arc of Triumph in Syria a life size 3D model. It was unveiled in London and will travel around the world before returning back to Syria.  For more information this is the link to the website http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36070721

 

 

 

What i found to be the most interesting was the analysis of the difference between the human eye and mentality of seeing faces in different objects while a computer is unable to do so.  Random blobs have been used by psychiatrists for many years to find out what their patients see in it. If a computer used this system it would not work because their job is to analyse and not to be analysed.

This is my favourite of the images of faces in random things. I think the reason that i like this one is because it is in a building that has been around for a long time making it in a way a historical face in a random object. Also like with many faces in random objects it is completely unplanned but unlike many other ones this one is literally set in stone. It is also quite cute as well.

The most informative part for me as it was something that i have never really considered before it that facial recognition can be used for historical portraits. While obviously there needs to be care in thinking how reliable the results could be it could potentially open up a very interesting form of historical debate and maybe even answer some unanswered questions.

 

Bibliography:  Plafke, J. (2011, February 9). 50 things that look like faces. Retrieved November 2, 2016, from http://www.themarysue.com/things-that-look-like-faces-pareidolia/