A joint effort from the Howard University Center for African
Studies, Boston University, and Africa Access that would not only be an amazing
resource for students, but also acts as a Title VI National Resource Center,
supporting and enhancing Africa-related teaching and research. When they
started the hunt to find a team that could create an interactive map to match
their Gold Road curriculum, they turned to Balance Studios.
This web-based interactive map showcases hotspots that
showcase the important people, trade items, architecture, places, and
landscapes that relate to the Gold Road.
When visitors reach the site, they are encouraged to select at
least one time period and one category. Visitors can zoom into cities and
regions to take a birds-eye look of the area. Once both a time period and
category are selected, markers appear on the map with additional keys and a
list of markers available. Places and landscapes can be explored without
selecting a time period.
The interactive map is an ever-changeable knowledge source
thanks to the custom content management system (CMS). This CMS allows the Howard
admin team to add more information for any record – from clarifying time
periods, updating coordinates for the markers, websites, videos, and images as it
is discovered.