Use of Standards

Use of Standards

This document outlines the standard terms, structures, and vocabularies adopted by our team for the Local History Map project. Our goal is to ensure technical interoperability, data accessibility, and high search engine visibility by following industry-recognized protocols.

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1. JSON-LD (W3C Recommendation)

Which standard we selected: We have adopted JSON-LD 1.1 (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data), which is a W3C standard for encoding linked data using JSON.

Why we chose it: We chose JSON-LD because it is lightweight and allows us to provide semantic context to our data without cluttering our HTML or using complex XML. Since major search engines like Google prioritize JSON-LD for "Structured Data," using this standard ensures that the historical stories shared on our platform are easily indexed and discovered globally.

How we plan to integrate it: We are integrating this primarily into our frontend. For every public-facing story page, we dynamically inject <script type="application/ld+json"> blocks into the document head. These blocks are populated with metadata (such as historical era, location, and creator) fetched from our backend APIs, effectively turning our application into a structured provider of historical data.

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2. Schema.org Vocabulary

Which standard we selected: We are utilizing the Schema.org vocabulary, specifically focusing on entity types such as Event, Place, CreativeWork, and Person.

Why we chose it: Schema.org is the "universal dictionary" of the web. Since our project relies on mapping stories to specific time periods (Events), geographic coordinates (Places), and contributors (Persons), Schema.org provides us with a standardized language that external systems can understand immediately without further explanation.

How we plan to integrate it: We are mapping our backend database models directly to Schema.org definitions. For example:

• A Story post is mapped to CreativeWork or Event.
• Location data is nested within a place property.
• The Author of a post is explicitly typed as a Person. These mappings ensure that when a web crawler visits a post, it identifies the exact relationships between the history, the place, and the person who shared it.

3. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Which standard we selected: We are following the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.

Why we chose it: We believe that local history should be accessible to everyone. By following WCAG standards, we ensure that users with visual or motor impairments can navigate our map and read historical stories just as easily as anyone else. This creates an inclusive environment for all history enthusiasts.

How we plan to integrate it: We are implementing these guidelines through our frontend development process:

• Using Semantic HTML (like <main>, <article>, and <nav>) to help screen readers understand page structure.
• Ensuring High Color Contrast so that text remains legible over different map layers.
• Adding ARIA labels and alt text to interactive map elements and user-uploaded images, ensuring the platform is fully navigable via keyboard and assistive technologies.