OpenTour Builder
Mobile Tours
OpenTour Builder is an open source software platform for building geospatial tours that are optimized for mobile devices.
With this tool, tour builders can easily create interactive, attractive tours that guide users from stop to stop using their smartphone's GPS and OpenTour Builder's native Google Maps instructions. At each location, the designer can include images, video, text, and external links to provide historical and cultural context, tying that information to the physical space.
- The platform has been used to construct projects including the Battle of Atlanta Tour App and the Emory Campus History Tour.
- ECDS has partnered with multiple organizations across Atlanta and throughout Georgia to support the creation of historical, cultural, or exhibition focused tours throughout Georgia. Some project examples include the Freedom Park Conservancy's Dwelling Exhibition and the Georgia Humanities grant recipient tour of the "Walking Tour of Cartersville's African American Business District: 1870-1940".
An Emory-supported instance of OpenTour is now available for those who intend to use the technology for educational purposes or the exhibition of research. Tours need to fit within the ECDS and Emory mission.
Two Types of Partnerships
If you are interested in partnering with us to use OpenTour, whether a member of the Emory community or beyond, we have two types of partnerships.
ECDS Multisite
The Emory Center for Digital Scholarship supports an instance of OpenTour. Partners without their own technical support can apply for a tour site on the ECDS instance. This site will give you a personal URL as an extension of https://opentour.emory.edu/<your-tour-site>/.
- This level of partnership removes the need for your own personal technical support or server space, and will give you a supported tour site for a period of three years (to be revisited at the end of this period).
- A set number of visual themes will be available to color your tour to fit your purpose.
Github - Independent Installation
If you want a unique domain name or more control over the visual design of your tour, the code for OpenTour Builder is also available through GitHub. Through our other partnership level, we will help you set up your own server with your own independent instance of OpenTour.
- This level of partnership requires that you pay for and support your own server. ECDS will not be responsible for the technical support of your server after it is initially set up.
- You will have access to the CSS files that determine the style of the tours, allowing you design control.
- You will have full ability to determine the domain at which users find your tours.
Who can apply?
Emory faculty, staff, graduate students, or research scientists can apply for an OpenTour 3.0 tour site, using the Emory Community OpenTour Proposal form. If you are not in the Emory community and are interested in using OpenTour through a partnership or are interested in your own installation of OpenTour 3.0, use the Emory OpenTour Proposal form.
External partnerships are also welcome with cultural, art, or historical organizations through the same application. We recommend making an appointment for an exploratory conversation with an ECDS staff member by emailing ecds@emory.edu to set up a consultation before submitting a form requesting a tour site.
All tours need to fit within the ECDS and Emory mission and be approved for a partnership.
Learn more
Learn about how to use Open Tour Builder by browsing the step-by-step manual.