TrenchMapper at the date of launch has over 1,000 maps available. This is a significant number but is only a relatively small percentage of the entirety of those we aim to make available. To make more maps available we need volunteers.
The volunteers do not need to be map experts (although an interest in trench maps would of course help) nor do volunteers need to be computer or software engineers. If you have a computer, an email address and time available you can help !
What maps are being worked on?
We need to align about 6,000 more maps most of which are maps of the Western Front but with others from Gallipoli and, we hope, other sectors in due course. We have structured the process so that volunteers will go into a team that will focus on a particular sector (Ypres, Loos, Arras and Cambrai and The Somme) but these sectors can be divided into smaller areas depending on the number of volunteers who step forward. As each sector is tackled, more maps will be loaded to TrenchMapper. As volunteers will easily master the process, more maps (which are slightly more complex to work on) will then be tackled using different methods.
What is needed
We need volunteers to use a programme (which we will make available) to carefully ‘digitally crop’ maps and then to download a ‘points file’. Both of these will then be uploaded into a second programme which will ensure the map will ‘fit’ into TrenchMapper. The result is then sent off to be loaded up. At first the process may seem slow, but volunteers will very quickly pick up speed and after just doing this to a handful of maps we are sure that volunteers will be confident and quick. We are certain that after undertaking just a few maps, most volunteers will soon be ready to move onto a second method of manipulating more complex maps.
We need you !
If you would like to take part in this exciting and worthwhile project, even if you can only lend us a couple of hours a week, then please get in touch with the WFA’s Secretary, Jill Stewart via the email address mapping@westernfrontassociation.com. We need volunteers to help us hit the target of 7,000 maps which we believe we can achieve in less than six months.
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