Open Geographies is an open-source platform for building geospatial websites about any area in the world. More than just a map, it’s a framework for combining interactive maps with photos, videos, and written narratives to provide cultural, historical, and environmental context about a place. Developed at the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, it grew out of the Georgia Coast Atlas project.

The platform is built entirely on open-source web technologies, including React for the frontend framework. Core Data enables the creation and linking of custom data models. The map interface uses MapLibre GL JS with OpenStreetMap as its base layer, and georeferenced historic maps are hosted on GeoServer. We also integrate IIIF for image sharing and recommend pulling geospatial data from linked open data sources like GeoNames.

By adopting open standards—IIIF for images, WFS and WMS for geospatial data services, PMTiles for efficient map delivery, and Schema.org for structured metadata—Open Geographies provides a clear, replicable model for creating digital atlases tailored to scholarly and community needs.

The source code for the Georgia Coast Atlas is available on GitHub, and we plan to release the full Open Geographies codebase in 2026 along with documentation for adapting the platform to new projects. If you’re interested, reach out via the Georgia Coast Atlas Contact page.