As part of their internship at Orbitist LLC, Fredonia students have created an interactive touch-screen display and web app of the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt.
The digital project is the result of a partnership between Fredonia Technology Incubator client Orbitist, founded by 2011 Fredonia graduate Nick Gunner, the Grape Discovery Center, located in Westfield, and the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory, Portland.
A kiosk with its digital map that highlights wineries, vineyards and scenic routes within the grape-growing region was installed in March at the Discovery Center, 8305 W. Main Road, at no charge to the organization. The map can also be viewed by visiting orbitist.com and entering map #1718.
In building the tool from the ground up, Vincent Chimento, Kristen O'Connor, Hilton Weeks and Josh Wolfson learned CSS coding, GIS technology and multimedia production -- not to mention a lot about grapes -- to craft an original, easy-to-access map of the local industry. In addition to presenting user-generated social media content, photography, video and written descriptions, each point within the app provides an explorative glimpse into Chautauqua County’s unique offerings, thereby encouraging the creation of new stories that can be shared with tourists and locals alike.
"It's been really cool seeing these students take this idea from concept to creation," said Mr. Gunner, Orbitist founder and a Fredonia graduate. "They're doing important work not only for the Grape Discovery Center, but for Orbitist. This is our first attempt at a kiosk," he said.
"Going into this project, I wouldn't have imagined how large the Concord grape industry is and how much it affects Western New York culture," said Mr. Weeks, one of the interns. "Seeing the thousands of posts from people all over Western New York about how much they value and love their grapes and wines was shocking. It really reminds you that there are other, unique worlds out there other than your own."
But the interns didn't take on the challenge alone. The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program provided geographic data that highlighted every vineyard block in the Concord Grape Belt. Overlaid on top of satellite imagery, the data generates a comprehensive illustration of the grape industry's broad range along the Lake Erie shoreline.
Available both at a kiosk at the Grape Discovery Center and on the web, the map was created to be all-inclusive, promoting information and experiential facets related to the Grape Belt.
Orbitist uses multimedia storytelling and digital mapping technology to help people understand and explore the world. The company is currently focused on Western New York travel and is housed at the Fredonia Technology Incubator in Dunkirk. Orbitist is one of nine business startups currently housed at the incubator that promotes economic growth in Western New York by supporting entrepreneurship and the development of new, innovative companies into successful business ventures.
