Early web-map experiments: the University of Crete and Heraklion

This 2021 note records two early web-map implementations: a campus map for the University of Crete and a later experiment with places in Heraklion. They helped me explore how geographic records, panoramas and written information could work together.

From the campus to the city

The university map prompted me to work with the Google Maps JavaScript API. The later Heraklion experiment added points of interest, category filters, routes and links to panoramas and galleries.

A time slider filtered places using recorded start and end years. The intention was to explore how the visible set of monuments changed at different dates, with selected historical events used as reference points.

Editing geographic records

In that implementation, location and descriptive fields were stored in MariaDB and edited through QGIS. PHP supplied marker data to the map. These are details of the earlier implementation, not a description of the current Geotour stack.

The QGIS project used to edit the earlier Heraklion map records.

Original marker-data example

The XML below is retained as an example of the record structure, including coordinates, names, dates and descriptive content. Its entries are sample historical data from the original article.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<markers>
  <marker id="84" idplace="1" name="Agios Fragkiskos monastery" name_gr="Μονή του Άγιου Φραγκίσκου" markerplace="Heraklion" markerplace_gr="Γάλλος, Ρέθυμνο" address="" lat="35.3389" lon="25.1373" type="Temple" type_el="Ναός" start="1400" end="1920" symbology="temple" description="&lt;div&gt;Η μονή των Φραγκισκανών μοναχών βρισκόταν στην περιοχή του σημερινού Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου. Μετά την άλωση του Χάνδακα το 1669 μετατράπηκε σε τζαμί. &amp;nbsp;Από τη μονή σώζεται η κύρια πύλη του ναού, που διακοσμεί σήμερα την είσοδο των Δικαστηρίων, 1900 - 1905 (Τζ. Τζερόλα, Ηράκλειο, Βικελαία Δημοτική Βιβλιοθήκη).&lt;/div&gt;" description_en="">
    <gallery id_gallery="4" gallery_en="Archaeological museum area" gallery_el="Η περιοχή του σημερινού αρχαιoλογικού μουσείου"/>
  </marker>
</markers>

Related work

The University of Crete project page places the campus work in context. The later Geotour Crete project develops my interest in linking places and documentation. This article preserves the earlier experiment without presenting its old embedded map as a maintained service.