Volunteer Opportunities

Interested in volunteering for a research tool that combines public history, digital humanities, and computer science? 
Join the Wymer's DC volunteer team and help others see D.C. in a brand new way!

There are several ways in which volunteers can contribute to Wymer’s DC: 

Digital Mapping Track:

•    Place any images that remain unmapped (currently ~500) --> this consists of using the HSW catalog to view the thumbnails of the images, location information from the catalog, and finding the right view for the image on Google Streetview. That Google Streetview URL then gets recorded in the database.

•    Refine the positioning & scale of images (currently ~1,500) --> this consists of using the map in a special mode (slightly different URL) and using the arrow keys and some other keys to enlarge, shrink and move the Wymer image on
the screen until it lines up with Google Street View. Then you record the data in the excel spreadsheet. 

•    Choose an area already populated on the map and check those images placements for accuracy -->If wrong, then finding an updated view on Streetview and changing the URL. 

•    Place any "un-placeable" images (~200) --> this consists of going through a list of Wymer images that were unable to be placed on the map for various reasons such as I wasn't confident I had found the modern spot, Wymer's captions were too vague and I wasn't sure, etc. This is a project that would be great for someone very familiar with the city. Also, some of these photographs have business names visible, so checking the city directories for a real address is a possibility. 

Technical Track:

•    Reverse-engineer Street View’s 3D projection and responsive design to make the overlaid images appear a consistent size on different screens.

•    Identify and solve usability and accessibility issues.

•    Help figure out a scheme to take advantage of new Street View imagery as Google updates it.

•    Make the page load and paint faster!

•    Optimize for mobile devices

Communications Track: 

•    Create newsletter copy

•    Produce social media content for Facebook and Twitter

•    Help monitor social media accounts

Contact WymersDC@gmail.com to find out more!