about.html

{% extends 'templates/site.html' %}

{% set title %}
  {{ SITE_NAME }} - About
{% endset %}

{% block content %}
  <div class="kartta-content-wrapper">

    <h2>About {{ SITE_NAME }}</h2>

      <p>
        {{ SITE_NAME }} is an open source and free-to-use suite of tools that lets
        users create a historical map of the world.  It is based on open source software
        from <a href="https://openstreeetmap.org">OpenStreetMap</a> and other projects, and is
        similar to OpenStreetMap in that it relies on users to contribute and maintain
        geographic data. {{ SITE_NAME }} is specifically designed to include a time
        component with all data, so the resulting database represents the state of the world
        throughout history, rather than at just one particular time such as the present.
      </p>
      <p>
        Read more about system architecture and design in our HICSS-54 paper 
        <a href="">"Kartta Labs: Collaborative Time Travel"</a> (link coming soon).
      </p>
      <p>
        {{ SITE_NAME }} is a community-driven effort.  As users contribute more data, {{ SITE_NAME }}
        grows to represent more areas of the world and more times throughout history.  The initial
        release of {{ SITE_NAME }} includes extensive data for several neighborhoods in New York City
        throughout the 19th and 20th centry.
      </p>

      <p>
        {{ SITE_NAME }} is an open source project by Google.  It is not an officially supported Google product.
        The source code for {{ SITE_NAME }} is available at 
        <a href="https://github.com/kartta-labs">https://github.com/kartta-labs</a>.
      </p>

      <p>
        All data exported from {{ SITE_NAME }} is freely available under
        the terms of the <a href="http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/">ODbL</a>
        license.  See the <a href="/faq">FAQ</a> for more details.
      </p>

    <h2>{{ SITE_NAME }} main components</h2>

      <h3>Warper</h3>

        <p>
          {{ SITE_NAME }} warper lets users
          georectify images of maps.  It is specifically designed for use with
          scans of old maps that predate the use of computers for cartograpy,
          or the invention of computers altogether.
        </p>

        <p>
          Historical maps often use coordinate systems that
          are different from the typical ones used in modern digital
          cartography.  This creates a challenge when trying to import such
          maps into digital cartography systems -- even after the map has been
          scanned from its paper form into a digital image, the objects in the
          image don't usually align correctly with the corresponding features
          in a digital map without distorting the map image in some way.  The
          process of distoring the image to cause it to correctly line up with
          a digital cartographic coordinate system is called "warping". {{ SITE_NAME }} warper
          facilitates this warping process: users can upload a map
          image, place control points to align known location in the image
          with features in the real world, and then export the warped map in
          any of several open digital formats which can be used in other
          mapping applicatiions.
        </p>

        <p>
          {{ SITE_NAME }} warper is based
          on <a href="https://github.com/timwaters/mapwarper">Map Warper</a> open source project, and contains
          customizations needed to associate a point in time with each map.  In particular, {{ SITE_NAME }} warper can support
          creating time-based map systems that represent the change in geographic features such as buildings, roads, etc over
          time.  The source code for {{ SITE_NAME }} warper is available at 
          <a href="https://github.com/kartta-labs/mapwarper">https://github.com/kartta-labs/mapwarper</a>.
        </p>

      <h3>Editor</h3>
        <p>
          Editor, based on <a href="https://github.com/openstreetmap/iD">iD editor</a> is a manual 
          metadata entry and editing tool, allowing users trace building footprints, uplaod and annotate 
          images showing historic buildings.
        </p>

      <h3>Reservoir</h3>
        <p>
          Reservoir, based on <a href="https://gitlab.com/n42k/3dmr">3dmr</a>, is a repository for 3D models and
          corresponding metadata. Reservoir expands on 3dmr by adding REST API endpoints for batch uploads and
          inspection while retaining the ability to upload and preview 3D models through a UI. The
          source code for Reservoir is available at
          <a href="https://github.com/kartta-labs/reservoir">https://github.com/kartta-labs/reservoir</a>.
        </p>

    <h2><a href="/attributions">Attributions<a></h2>
    
    <h2><a href="/copyright">Copyright</a>

    <h2>Contact</h2>

      <p>
        Contact <a href="mailto:{{ CONTACT_EMAIL }}">{{ CONTACT_EMAIL }}</a> for more information.<br>
        If you encounter a problem, or have a feature, improvement suggestion, please feel free to 
        create an issue in our <a href="https://github.com/kartta-labs/Project">Github project</a>.
      </p>

  </div>
{% endblock %}