Cite this as: Lien-Talks, A. 2024 The Ashwell Project: creating an online geospatial community, Internet Archaeology 67. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.67.12
As the world increasingly embraces digital platforms, archaeologists are adapting their methods of public engagement accordingly. This was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many outreach and engagement efforts moved online. One such project was The Ashwell Project (TAP), which combined aspects of participatory Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and crowdsourcing of datasets, with Progressive Web App functionality of geolocation and navigation to disseminate community-collected photographs and narratives. The project's primary focus was two-fold: to disseminate anecdotal datasets within local heritage initiatives, and how to facilitate the involvement of users with limited technical proficiency in navigating complex digital systems.
This paper highlights the opportunities and valuable lessons learned regarding digital engagement in communities arising from the Ashwell project. It considers strategies to promote the adoption of participatory GIS and crowdsourcing datasets, as well as how users' own devices can be utilised to increase engagement with tangible and intangible heritage. I argue that such approaches merit broader consideration, encouraging communities to actively engage with such platforms.
The project underscores the importance of design thinking, emphasising empathy and iterative testing, in crafting effective heritage assets. Furthermore, it demonstrates the feasibility of engaging the public with archaeology even amidst a global pandemic.
Corresponding author: Alphaeus Lien-Talks
alfietalks@live.co.uk
AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership candidate (University of York, Historic England and Archaeology Data Service)
Figure 1: The home screen of The Ashwell Project. From here, users were able to quickly navigate to contents via a map to be able to navigate through the narratives, to add their own story, to see a list or map of all the different sites, to provide feedback on how to improve the app and to make with the author.
Figure 2: The Add Site form allowed users to add their own sites directly through the app. When submitted, it would send a notification to the author to check that the story was appropriate for public dissemination before release.
Figure 3: Users could choose to use their current location. It was then possible for the user to click on a pin and use their own native map system. The benefit of using the user's location meant that it was much easier to navigate from one narrative to the next.
Figure 4: Map of sites (using data from Google Maps). Once a narrative was released either through the app itself or by upload by the author from the online or paper forms, it would add a new pin and send a notification to the users.
Figure 5: Feedback feature in the app. This short form was sent to the author to aid redesign or add new features enabling the project to be iterative and co-designed with the public.
Figure 6: Part of the list of locally important sites. From this list, once a user clicked on a story, it opened a window e.g. Figure 7 or Figure 8. By providing sites in a list, it allowed users to quickly identify stories.
Figure 7: Marie Whitby's pottery. Depicting stories available through TAP (The Ashwell Project). The page commences with the location to precisely indicate where the site is situated within Ashwell, accompanied by a thumbnail image to provide visual representation. The title serves to identify the story with a description (narrative) furnished by the participant. A 'post comment' feature facilitated dialogue within the user community, though regrettably it remained unutilised. Directions were included to enable the user to navigate directly to the site. The website link provided instant access to the Ashwell Museum's listing of the site concerned.
Figure 8: The Cottage Garden. Depicting stories available through TAP (The Ashwell Project). The page commences with the location to precisely indicate where the site is situated within Ashwell, accompanied by a thumbnail image to provide visual representation. The title serves to identify the story with a description (narrative) furnished by the participant. A 'post comment' feature facilitated dialogue within the user community, though regrettably it remained unutilised. Directions were included to enable the user to navigate directly to the site. The website link provided instant access to the Ashwell Museum's listing of the site concerned.
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