Guelph Museums have taken on the historical task of creating an online museum dedicated to the life of Canadian lieutenant-colonel, John McCrae. In may of 2015, the life of John McCrae was celebrated, with the 100th year anniversary of his notorious war-poem In Flanders Field. The infamous poem helped to popularize the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who have fought for us. The famous poppy is now typically worn on Remembrance Day, on the 11th of November each year. The flower has now been adopted by Britain, France, the United States and Canada, including a number of other commonwealth countries, to remember those who have fallen.
When visiting the website for the first time, users are greeted with a brief synopsis on the purpose of the website (on the left side of the webpage), indicating that its main purpose is to serve as a map journal. Also on the left side of the webpage is an embedded plugin (similar to the Timeline JS ones we learned about in last week’s lab tutorial). This plugin allows for a friendly user navigation system that allows the user to explore the website with ease. Taking up the majority of the webpage on the right side is a portrait of John McCrae. Arrows keys on the left side of the webpage allow users to easily navigate between different stages of John McCrae’s life. As users explore the life of John McCrae the right side of the webpage is typically used to show images, maps, and embedded videos that relate to the story being told. These maps which are historically accurate to the time period in which historical life events are being told are powered by Esri, a GIS mapping software. With the use of such plugins, the developers of the website are able to craft a beautifully put together map journal that remembers the life of those who have fallen. To top it off users are able to show their support at the end of the slideshow by signing the guest book. Those who have chosen to sign the guest book can opt to have their location geocoded to then have a poppy placed on where they are viewing the site from. This feature allows the developers of the website to bring multiple communities together on which they all share one common goal, to remember those who have fallen for us.
The online museum journals the life of John McCrae. It lays out a historical map that begins with his birth in the city of Guelph, Ontario and maps its way out all the way to his death, and his legacy that he left behind. Accompanied by critical points in his life are maps that help to clarify certain historical dates (created with Esri, a GIS mapping software) in his life. For example, the developers of the website created a slide expanding on his love for travel and exploration. Using GIS, the developers have created a map which outlines his travels from Guelph, Ontario, through the Hudson Bay all the way to Montreal, Quebec. The info of his travels and life can be found within his diary, which is heavily pulled on throughout the website to record his life.
The website and development crew over at Guelph Museums have done an exceptional job in creating a map of John McCrae’s life that truly honors his legacy. It is clear to see who the target audience is. The website makes for a great learning resource for young teens and even for adults. The website is user friendly in the sense that teachers can even use the page to have kids in middle school all the way to high school learn through a interesting visual guide. The website has and will continue to act as a memoriam for John McCrae and those who have lost their lives across all wars for the future generation to come.
– Kharum Rana