Project Details

Project Description

As Route 66 approaches its 100-year anniversary, Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives (SCA) holds thousands of photos, oral histories, maps, and documents that capture the history of the Mother Road. However, this information is stored in static systems like CONTENTdm, which are not designed for travel, mobile access, or discovery on the road. The Route 66 Companion aims to bridge this gap by transforming archival materials into a location-aware mobile experience. Instead of searching through databases, travelers will receive stories, images, and audio automatically as they approach historic sites along the route.

Solution

Our solution is a fully mobile, location-aware application built with Kotlin and the Mapbox Maps SDK. The app uses GPS and geofencing to surface content from SCA based on where the traveler is, creating an interactive storytelling experience tied directly to the physical landscape. A Node.js middleware connects the app to CONTENTdm, cleans and normalizes archival metadata, and provides fast, consistent responses to the mobile client.
To support travelers in remote areas, the system integrates offline caching through a hybrid model: Mapbox offline regions for map tiles and SQLite for local metadata and thumbnails. Users can explore photos, maps, transcripts, and oral histories even when they lose service. The app also includes integrated navigation, allowing travelers to view upcoming attractions and receive directions to nearby points of interest.

Technologies

This project is built on a coordinated set of tools chosen for reliability, offline capability, and long-term maintainability:

  • Kotlin + Android Studio: Native Android development environment enabling smooth GPS tracking, geofencing, and background location services.
  • Mapbox Maps SDK: Provides real-time map rendering, customizable layers, geofencing, and offline map downloads.
  • Node.js + Express Middleware: Normalizes CONTENTdm data, caches frequent requests, and sends lightweight JSON to the mobile app for faster performance.
  • CONTENTdm API: Supplies verified archival metadata, images, and oral histories from Cline Library.
  • SQLite Hybrid Caching:Ensures offline access to media metadata, thumbnails, and previously loaded content.

Together, these technologies create a resilient, offline-ready application that blends archival materials with modern navigation and interactive storytelling.