Minnesota Then is an innovative "Museum Without Walls" concept that transforms the traditional museum experience by bringing history directly to where it happened. This location-based web application allows users to explore historical sites throughout Minnesota by physically visiting locations and unlocking rich multimedia content including images, audio narration, and historical information.

• Interactive Map Interface: Navigate through historical points of interest using an optimized Leaflet.js map
• Location-Based Content: Unlock historical information when physically near points of interest (within 20 feet)
• Audio Docent: Listen to narrated historical information about each location
• Responsive Design: Optimized for all devices with special attention to mobile experience
• Advanced Geolocation: Sophisticated position tracking with Kalman filtering and adaptive smoothing
• Offline Capability: Core functionality works with limited connectivity
• Multiple Navigation Options: Integration with Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze for directions

The application is built using modern web technologies:

• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+)
• Mapping: Leaflet.js with custom markers and clustering
• Geolocation: HTML5 Geolocation API with advanced filtering algorithms
• Media: Optimized image loading and HTML5 audio
• Performance: Lazy loading, resource hints, and critical CSS inlining

The application implements several advanced techniques to provide accurate and smooth location tracking:

• Kalman filtering for position smoothing
• Adaptive velocity prediction
• Stationary state detection
• Jitter reduction algorithms
• Background/foreground state management
• Accuracy-based filtering

The map interface features:

• Custom marker clustering
• Optimized tile loading
• Responsive zoom levels based on movement speed
• Edge proximity detection for optimal centering
• Touch gesture optimization for mobile devices

The application guides users through historical locations with:

1. Discovery: Users navigate to historical points using the interactive map
2. Proximity Detection: When within 20 feet of a location, content automatically unlocks
3. Engagement: Users view historical images and listen to narrated information
4. Learning: Additional historical context is provided after the audio tour
5. Exploration: Users can continue to other nearby locations

To run this project locally:

1. Clone the repository
2. Open index.html in a modern web browser
3. Allow location permissions when prompted
4. Navigate to a test location or use the developer tools to simulate GPS coordinates

minnesota-then/
├── css/                  # Stylesheets
│   ├── mainmap.css       # Main map styling
│   └── mnthen_main_map2.css # Additional map styling
├── images/               # Image assets
│   ├── logo.webp         # Site logo
│   └── ...               # Other images
├── js/                   # JavaScript files
│   └── locations_main.js # Location data and functionality
├── index.html            # Main entry point
└── README.md             # Project documentation

The main application file contains several key components:

1. Map Initialization: Sets up the Leaflet map with optimized settings
2. Geolocation Handling: Manages user position tracking and updates
3. Location Hunt: Displays content when users are near points of interest
4. Audio Player: Controls for audio playback of historical narration
5. UI Components: Modals, popups, and interactive elements
6. Event Listeners: Handles user interactions and device events

• Augmented reality views of historical sites
• User contributions and community stories
• Gamification elements like badges and challenges
• Integration with museum collections API
• Offline content caching for areas with poor connectivity

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0).

• You are free to use, modify, and distribute this software.
• If you distribute this software or derivative works, you must make the source code available under the same license.
• Any modifications you make must be released under the same license if distributed.
• No warranty is provided with this software.

For the full license text, see the GNU GPL v3 License.

• Minnesota Historical Society for historical data and photographs
• Metropolitan State University for research methodology
• OpenStreetMap for map data and tiles
• Leaflet.js for mapping functionality
• All contributors, researchers, and testers who made this project possible

For questions or feedback, please contact: [email protected]