Project Details

Project Description

Route 66's 100th anniversary in 2026 is bringing new attention to its history, culture, and communities. Cline Library's Special Collections and Archives at Northern Arizona University holds a large collection of Route 66 photos, maps, stories, and historical records through CONTENTdm and the NAU Archives. While these resources are valuable for research, they are not designed for travelers who are already on the road and want nearby, location-based stories.

Experience66 solves this by turning static archival information into a mobile, GPS-based experience. Instead of requiring users to search through an archive manually, the app helps them discover nearby points of interest, view relevant photos and descriptions, listen to content, and navigate to historic locations.

Solution Overview

Our app, Route 66 Companion, is a native Android mobile application built to enhance the real-world travel experience along Route 66. Instead of simply browsing historical data, users interact with the app while actively traveling, allowing them to discover stories, landmarks, and media tied directly to their current location.

The app uses an interactive Mapbox map to display Route 66, nearby points of interest, and the user's live location. As travelers move along the route, geofencing technology detects when they are approaching significant landmarks and can trigger notifications that surface relevant historical content automatically. This creates a hands-free, immersive experience where users receive stories, images, and context exactly when they reach meaningful places.

Users can also interact directly with POI cards to view images, read descriptions, listen to audio, or start navigation to nearby sites. Combined with search, POI lists, route preview, and offline-friendly data, the app transforms Route 66 into a “living museum” that travelers can experience in real time.

Technologies

  • Kotlin: Main programming language for the Android app.
  • Android Studio: Development environment used to build, test, and package the app.
  • Mapbox Maps SDK: Provides the interactive map, Route 66 overlay, map controls, and location-based features.
  • CONTENTdm + NAU Archives: Source of archival Route 66 images, records, and historical context.
  • CSV/local data files: Store curated POI information so the app can work with local data.
  • Geofencing and GPS: Used to detect nearby landmarks and support location-aware discovery.

Together, these technologies create a resilient, offline-ready application that blends archival materials with modern navigation and interactive storytelling.

Future Work

  • Expand coverage beyond Arizona to cover the full Route 66
  • Deepen CONTENTdm integration with more live archive data.
  • Add more multimedia content, including audio and historical media.
  • Improve full in-app navigation and route creation.
  • Explore cross-platform support for iOS in the future.