Who are they?
Scarborough Atlas is the brainchild of Scarborough Museums and Galleries, supported by the Coventry Digital team at Coventry University and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
- Case study
Scarborough Museums & Galleries: the Scarborough Atlas
"With Scarborough Atlas...many of the glories of the Scarborough Collection can be enjoyed the world over at the touch of a button.”
Andrew Clay Chief Executive of Scarborough Museums and Galleries
What was the challenge?
Inspired by the success of Coventry Atlas, the team at SMG wanted to develop their own interactive heritage map.
The map needed to be fully multimedia; not just video, audio and text, but also 3D objects embedded via Sketchfab. The map needed to be accessible for users across all ranges and comfort with technology, and needed to be able to support location-aware walking trails on mobile.
Additionally, SMG wanted to investigate whether the map could generate revenue to support its ongoing costs. Sponsored content via commercial records on the map has been implemented to support the project.
“History isn’t a dry and dusty thing: everyone has a history that is of value, and this is about capturing those moments. We want to break down barriers and bring social history to life."
Yasmin Stefanov-King Project researcher
What was the result?
Scarborough Atlas launched in September 2023, with more content being added all the time.
The map contains a mixture of content from the extensive collections of the SMG, as well as volunteer research and contributed oral histories from Scarborough residents. The collections have been reimagined as walkable trails that embed the digital experience within the physical.
The project team is eager for people to contribute to the map. You can get in touch with them at [email protected].
Since its launch, SMG have been working with several local businesses to help sponsor the creation and maintenance of this fantastic map. If you’re interested in sponsoring the map, please get in touch with the project team at the email above.
The launch of the map was covered in The Scarborough News and This is the Coast.
"We have used similar content management software, but the layout and simplicity of Humap made the job much easier."
Jim Middleton Collections Manager, Scarborough Museums & Galleries
Why Humap?
Scarborough Atlas needed to be extremely versatile and intuitive due to its diverse user base and cross-institutional collaborative team. The SMG team had already seen Humap being used by Coventry Digital to great success, so they knew they were on to a winner.
They also needed some custom development for the map. SMG has s bank of digital 3D objects hosted on Sketchfab, and no existing map platform had the capability to support this type of media. Our development team created this custom fucnctionality which has now been rolled into Humap as a new feature!
