History: Interactive Timeline Database and Open-Source Software Project Launches Beta of Version 2.0

Wow! This has the potential to be a very important and very useful tool. A beta version of ChronoZoom 2.0, an interactive timeline resource allowing users to browse  interactive timelines filled with relevant textual and other embedded material (e.g. videos). The software can also downloaded (open source) to create timelines for your own use.
ChronZoom 2.0 launched this morning and we’re looking forward to spending some time using it and also tracking its progress.
Here are a Few Fast Facts about the Project and What’s Available:
1. ChronoZoom is a collaboration between:

• The Outercurve Foundation
• Microsoft Research
• University of California, Berkeley
• Moscow State University

2. Why ChronoZoom?

The project, developed to help students, educators, researchers and academics understand historical themes among scientific and humanistic disciplines.
[ChronoZoom is] a framework for exploring related electronic resources and serves as a “master timeline”, tying together various specialized timelines and electronic resources. ChronoZoom aspires to bridge the gap between the humanities and the sciences to bring together and unify all knowledge of the past using the story line of Big History to make it easy to understand.

4. Historical knowledge is organized into 4 top-level topics:

• Humanity
• Human Prehistory
• Life
• Earth
• Cosmos

5. Today’s release is a BETA! Only 2,000 data elements available at launch. Plans to have 10,000 by summer and 100,000 by end of 2012.
6. ChronoZoom is working with Big History Project. Plans to work with a number of data providers including CERN and for data contributions by the public.

Additional Resources

• ChronoZoom Intro Video and ChronoZoom Video Tutorial

• Quick Reference Guide (2 pages; PDF)

• Introducing ChronoZoom by Rane Johnson-Stempson,
  Education and Scholarly Communication Principal Research Director, Microsoft Research Connection

• ChronoZoom FAQ

• ChronoZoom User Guide and Lesson Plan

Filed under: Data Files, Patrons and Users, Resources