THE SOCAL FOSSIL MAP: CONNECTING MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AND COMMUNITIES

While museums function as repositories of scientific knowledge and discovery, they can struggle to connect their discoveries with surrounding communities. The problem is often compounded by perceived limitations of their ability to broadcast information beyond the physical walls of the museum. To break down these barriers the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) used a web application, titled the SoCal Fossil Map, to connect fossil collections with neighborhoods across Southern California.

The SoCal Fossil Map was developed with support from Esri, the foremost company in GIS software, for NHMLAC’s exhibit L.A. Underwater: The Prehistoric Sea Beneath Us. It is currently accessible in the exhibit’s physical gallery and online, allowing guests both at the museum and at home to see what fossil localities exist near where they live. Available in both English and Spanish, the application was developed to be an accessible and fun way to explore the fossil history of Southern California.

Underpinning the SoCal Fossil Map are extensive georeferenced collections. While georeferencing is considered a key component of museum digitization efforts, these data are often not made accessible or digestible to a public audience. Interactive exhibit-based or online exploration tools like the Fossil Map demonstrate additional utility and impact of these data.

The SoCal Fossil Map was a collaborative process in which curators, collections managers, developers and interns worked together to gather data and build the interactive. The SoCal Fossil Map engages its audience to ask questions and make discoveries about their local communities, and cultivates interest among its audience to learn more about the geological and paleontological heritage of the Los Angeles region. This initiative has also motivated museum interns to shed light on dark data and support crucial digitization efforts within museum collections while searching for potential fossils in their neighborhood. The SoCal Fossil Map is a case study in engaging with the community on data-rich initiatives.