Colorado Springs Mobile Story Tour

Tierra Plan worked with the City of Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum to adapt the Story of Us interactive mapping platform from large touch-enabled displays to a highly engaging mobile experience for exploring the history of Colorado’s Pikes Peak Region. The project was conceived in coordination with the City of Colorado Springs in commemoration of the City’s 150th anniversary celebration. 

Tierra Plan built an easy to use mobile website that can be explored while walking or from any computer. Visitors can browse a map to view interesting locations, historic street photos, and history tours. Different types of media (images, video and audio) are supported for locations and tours. Historic street photos are shown with side-by-side comparisons of current Google street view images. History tours include curated collections of locations so visitors can learn about notable periods in local history.

The interface includes location detection and integrates with Google Maps for directions so visitors can easily orient themselves while physically navigating the local area. In addition, alternate list views are available to engage visually impaired visitors using screen readers.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, as museums have had to close or limit in-person visits, the Story of Us mobile experience is fulfilling a need for self-guided tours and a way to maintain community engagement.