ancient-locs — Erik William Brinsmead

Project Starter: Historical Sites Data Collection

This repository provides a foundation for scraping and organizing archaeological site coordinates—designed as a starting point for developers building history-focused tour guides, educational apps, or location-based exploration tools.

The Vision

Create a comprehensive, structured dataset of ancient archaeological sites with:

Geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude)
Site metadata (name, period, culture, significance)
Accessible format for integration into mobile and web applications

Potential Applications

Tour Guide Applications

Build interactive guides for history enthusiasts visiting archaeological sites
Create self-guided walking tours with historical context
Enable GPS-based exploration of ancient locations

Educational Tools

Map-based learning applications for students
Virtual tours of historical sites
Timeline visualizations with geographic data

Travel Planning

Discovery tools for cultural tourism
Itinerary builders focused on historical sites
Regional archaeological site catalogs

Technical Approach

The scraper collects data from publicly available archaeological databases and formats it for easy consumption:

Python-based web scraping
Geospatial data processing
Structured output (JSON/CSV) ready for API or database import
Integration-friendly for mapping libraries (Mapbox, Google Maps, Leaflet)

For History Enthusiasts & Developers

This is an ideal starting point if you’re:

A history enthusiast wanting to build a personal exploration tool
A developer creating location-based educational content
Someone interested in combining archaeology with modern mapping technology
Looking for a side project connecting cultural heritage with software

Next Steps

Clone the repo, configure your target archaeological databases, and customize the output format for your specific application. Whether you’re building a mobile app, web portal, or data visualization, this provides the foundation for working with archaeological location data.

Perfect for weekend projects that blend historical interest with technical skills.