Waypoints: Project Description

Description: This project is focused on developing a relational database to serve as the foundation of a web-based historical archive for the U.S. Coast Guard. There are a great number of artifacts available through the Coast Guard historian's office. The current collection is quite diverse and contains items such as physical objects (e.g. lighthouse lenses, artistic works), historic files (e.g. documents from the Titanic sinking), and photographic images. With the exception of physical objects, materials are typically stored in large filing cabinets and organized according to a single topic.

In order to access the artifacts, a person must submit a written request to the historian's office or alternatively come to the Washington, D.C. office to search through the collection in person. Unfortunately, much of the collection remains idle either because people do not know what is available or they are in a position where they cannot manually search through the materials.

When artifacts are added to the collection, they either come from an individual donor/donor group or a Coast Guard unit. The historian's office reviews submissions to determine if they will be held in the archive or alternatively submitted to the National Archives. If entered into the Coast Guard's historical archive, the historian's staff identifies the "best" location to file an artifact. Cataloging is based on the primary content of each item and there is generally no cross referencing of materials.

A database of archived materials will allow the historian's office to inventory their entire collection and create a searchable index. In doing so, the staff will know exactly what the collection contains and where individual items are stored (or on display). Using descriptive metadata, each artifact can be cataloged so that it is retrievable according to all of its content. Cross referencing will allow searchers to find materials that may have previously gone un-located during manual searches.

Objectives: The overall objective for this project is to develop a system that broadens the availability of the U.S. Coast Guard's historical archive while promoting the exploration of the collection's contents. The audience for the system includes two basic user groups - the Coast Guard historian's office personnel (for data entry/administration) and the general public (for browsing/searching the archive). To accommodate these two user groups, the system will have two user interfaces - one for data entry and another for content browsing. The data entry interface will minimize the steps required to add, update, and delete records. The browsing interface will be intuitive, easy to use, and effective. Additionally, to facilitate rapid searches for specific content - the system will have functionality for basic and advanced keyword searches.

Stakeholders: Internal stakeholders include the U.S. Coast Guard's historian's office and its field personnel. Their goals include promoting the history of the organization while preserving all relevant materials necessary to do so. In meeting these goals, the internal stakeholders provide a valuable service to the public while preserving the institutional memory of the service.

The External stakeholders include individuals interested in searching through the Coast Guard's historical archive - for professional or personal research. Specific examples of external stakeholders are included in our users and personas section, but could easily include a broad range of individuals (i.e. former military members and their families, researchers, teachers, or anyone interested in learning more about the Coast Guard).

Browsing Features: In order to creating an experience which is similar to walking a library's shelves, we have adopted a browsing approach which uses faceted (hierarchal) metadata as a means to navigate through the collection. This approach allows users to view a selected category (i.e. based on subject) while using other facets to further narrow search results. Of the collections available online, there are several interfaces that use this approach. For comparison, three of what we consider "best examples" are listed below.

Team: Participating members include:
   Ken Langford: System development; UI functionality; project manager
   Christine Jones: Database development; UI functionality
   Jennifer Hastings: Database development; UI functionality
   Ray Larson: SIMS faculty advisor
   Scott Price: Coast Guard historian; content specialist
   Joe Morgan: Coast Guard systems administrator; integration liaison