Dual-window linked maps portray historical change by pairing images from two points in time in adjacent windows, with a linked controller to synchronize their location and scale. This format is effective for allowing users to zoom into one particular area (at two different points in time), and writing historical interpretation and source information in the same browser window as the images.
In the prototype below, the web browser displays Connecticut statewide map imagery (aerial photos from 1934 and 2008) from UConn MAGIC’s publicly available Web Map Service (WMS), with Google Maps API coding to overlay the two aerial photos on top of the Google base maps. Linked controls synchronize the adjacent windows. For this sample, users can enter a specific address or zoom into an area of interest to compare the 1934 and 2008 maps, side by side. Furthermore, users can toggle on/off town or county boundaries (which are KML files that are overlaid on top of the aerial maps).
Dual-window prototype: How did neighborhoods change over time in Connecticut?
| Enter any Connecticut address: |
Samples: |
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Columbus Blvd, Hartford, CT (to compare with pre-1960s "Front Street" urban neighborhood) |
|
Frederick Rd, West Hartford, CT (to compare before/after 1940s suburban development) |
