New in Version 3
We have been busy! The 2023 Digital Humanities Advancement Grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities
has allowed us to begin extending the promise of Versions 1 and 2, with many enhancements and new features.
This is a "beta" release, in that we are actively seeking feedback from our users, especially on the new
features, as we aim for a full release of v3.1 by year-end 2024. Please use our
contact form for comments and suggestions!
Home page
- New search option
- New carousel of featured published datasets and collections, with extents previewed on the map
- Simplified explanation of what the WHG platform offers
- News and announcements
Documentation
- Single navigable documentation section with more guides and tutorials
- More help screens throughout the site
Maps
- All 14 maps on the site have been significantly upgraded
- Most maps now have temporal controls: a timespan 'slider' and/or a sequence 'player'
- Faster display of large datasets and collections, thanks to WHG's own new map tile server
Search
- Options for 'starts with", "contains", "similar to" (aka fuzzy) as well as 'exact'
- Search is now across all published records - the previous "search the index or database" choice is gone!
- Spatial filter on search results
- More information returned in search result items
Place Portal pages
- Complete design makeover
- Physical geographic context: ecoregions, watersheds, rivers
- Nearby places
- Preview annotated collections that include the place
Dataset creation and reconciliation
- Reconciliation index now with 13.6 million records; we added 10 million from GeoNames to the existing 3.6 million from Wikidata
- Improved file upload validation
Publication and editorial workflow
- We are now especially highlighting three types of publications: Datasets, annotated Place Collections, and Dataset Collections (soon with DOIs)
- Significantly enhanced presentation of published datasets and collections
- Enhanced metadata options for all publications
- Expanded Managing Editor role smoothing the workflow
- Improved tracking of contributors and data in the pipeline
- Improved download options
Annotated Place Collections for teaching and workshops
- Now supporting class and workshop scenarios
- Optional image per annotation
- Order places sequentially with or without dates
- Enhanced display and temporal control options
- Optional gallery per class
- Site-wide student gallery
Dataset Collections
- Link multiple datasets - and the places within them - in a single collection,
e.g. a collaborating group or an individual can assemble a "Historical Gazetteer of {x}"
"My Data" dashboard
- Simpler single page dashboard
- User profile page
Study Areas
- Now supports non-contiguous areas, e.g. Iberian peninsula and S. America as a single area
API and data downloads
- Existing endpoints solidified
- Download options improved
Codebase
- Improved file upload validation and error reporting
- The codebase is now "containerized" with Docker—making it much easier to contribute to the platform's development
- Upgraded versions of all major components: Django, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, etc.
- All map-related functions refactored for efficiency and consistent appearance