Historic Preservation Digital History Design

Abstract

The goal for this project was to create the early stages of a web development project for the Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Department. Our team created the initial wireframe designs, identified problems for future aspects of the project, and provided recommendations for the next stages of development.

The original project requirements included developing a website design for Parks and Recreation historical sites. However, our project scope changed to focus on the historic Compton Bassett house. Compton Bassett is a former plantation in Upper Marlboro, Maryland dating to 1783. The historic site consists of 14 buildings and is suffering from age and degradation. As a result, the site is not safe for the public to visit and needs to be preserved through an online virtual exhibit. The website will serve two different stakeholders: the public and researchers. It will allow the public to explore historic sites virtually by manipulating 3D models of the sites and accessing information about the sites. Researchers will be able to access sensitive data by registering for an account.

Our client and point of contact for the project was Dr. Stefan Woehlke. Our team also communicated with Partnership for Active Learning in Sustainability (PALS) Director Kimberly Fisher, PALS Graduate Assistant Sophie Kotzker, and National Center for Smart Growth website developer Aishwarya Biddatanda.