Final Project Update: Readdressing the Past

Group members: Lenn Kong, Adam Cary-Swanson, Yoel Klein

Progress

For our final project, we began creating a dataset of nine postcards from the Postcard Collections in Carleton College’s Archives between the years 1900-1950. Each person was in charge of collecting three postcards from their designated years: Yoel took the years 1900-1910, Lenn took the years 1911-1920, and Adam took the years 1921-1950. In addition to collecting the 3 postcards, these images have been re-colorized and rephotographed based on the current location of the building. Additional work that needs to be completed is a short description for each postcard, explaining the history of the building. Our final project can be found online. However, our trajectory to do this project is due to our conversation with Carleton’s Archive Specialist, who gave us insight into the different collections that the Archives holds.

Here is a link to our current dataset: google-sheets-datasets

Here is a link to our Google Drive: google-drive

Problems

While we have started a dataset for our final project, we have not generated a map, created a timeline, or showcased anything on a website. At face value, this is concerning due to the time constraints. However, we plan to complete the dataset by the beginning of this week. With the completed dataset, we will be able to get the coordinates of the current locations of the buildings to generate a map. Also, with pictures and descriptions, we will be able to start and finalize our timeline. Once these are completed, we can embed them into our WordPress site alongside additional information we would like to showcase. Due to this, our initial plan of showcasing our work remains consistent, and we believe we will be able to complete the map, timeline, and website efficiently. 

Tools and Techniques

For colorizing our historical postcard images, we will use DeepAI. We will map the current postcard locations and showcase how each building changed over time using ArcGIS. We will create a timeline using Timeline JS to display everything chronologically. The timeline will include the original, colorized, and the postcard’s present-day image. Additionally, the timeline will include a short description of its associated postcard. To put everything together, we will create the website with WordPress and embed our work. If time permits, we hope to recreate a model of one of the old buildings using Fusion and Polycam.

Deliverables

By the middle of this week, we are going to finish our dataset. We aim to have nine postcards in the dataset that have a colorized version, a photo of the current location, and descriptions of the postcard image. With the nine postcards, we will finish gathering the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates for the map. Once these are completed, we will start on our individual components: the website/3D model, the timeline, and the map. Due to this, we believe that our project is still on track. 

Personal Messages

Lenn (Angelina): For our dataset, I was able to find three postcard photos between the years 1911-1920. Alongside my search for the postcards, I recolorized them and took a photo of the current location where it was originally photographed. Everything I gathered for the dataset was stored in our shared Google Drive to stay organized and share with my fellow group members. Outside of the postcards, I collected all of the latitude and longitude coordinates of the current locations that the postcards referenced and documented them to use when creating our map with ArcGIS Online. Additional work I am doing is finding sources for the description of my three postcards for the timeline and the modifications each building went through at Carleton for the map. 

Yoel: For my part of the project, I am going to focus on making the website navigable and interactive. I will also re-create an old building using 3D modeling software. So far, I have selected the images, re-colorized them, and re-photographed them. Then I stored all the data and sources in our Google Drive for the project.

Adam: For my contributions to this final project, I will be finding and recolonizing three postcards from the years from 1920 +. I am also working with the data set and creating a timeline for our postcards so that we have a description for the data we used.