Community-Driven Design and Public Participation with HSDIs: Ongoing Lessons from the Keweenaw Time Traveler

Sarah Fayen Scarlett, Michigan Technological University
James Juip, Michigan Tech University

The promise of public participatory GIS for community-driven research has been obvious for over a decade, but establishing best practices remains ongoing. The challenge of establishing and maintaining public participation is especially acute for historical spatial data infrastructure (HSDI) projects whose robust and flexible geodatabases take years to construct and require some effort to learn. This paper details recent public programming by the research team at Michigan Technological University creating the Keweenaw Time Traveler, an advanced HSDI for America’s first profitable copper mining region originally launched to the public in 2017. To accompany the release of significantly expanded historical datasets and an improved user interface, researchers and students worked with community partners to ensure long-term engagement for multiple audiences. Best practices in the following areas will be presented: Design charrettes that informed development of instructional videos and help resources; Partnership with teachers and heritage site colleagues that informed the development of guided activities that highlight the HSDI’s capabilities using human stories; and development of an active social media presence

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 12. Education and Outreach