11th August 2017 - Union Canal Unlocked is now live!
My most recent freelance project was a mobile app and website for the Union Canal Unlocked project. This project was funded mainly by the Heritage Lottery Fund and involved Scottish Canals, Re-Union Canal Boats, the Scottish Waterways Trust and the local councils. It aimed to collect heritage information about the Union Canal and make it available in various forms. Because I'd previously created a canal guide app, I was approached by Scottish Canals to develop the app for the Union Canal Unlocked project.
Technical challenges on this project included learning Swift and creating my first iOS app, as well as structuring the content in such a way that it could be shared between the Android app, the iOS app and the website with a minimum of conversion work. Fortunately I was able to build on the code I already had for my previous app rather than having to start completely from scratch. As someone who's had an interest in canals (particularly the Union Canal) for almost 30 years, it was great to work with the organisations that look after Scotland's canals and get to see the heritage content as it developed. I was also able to contribute a few of my own (and my wife's) canal photos.
The website and apps have now fully launched. You can find the website here and the apps on the App Store and Google Play Store (they are also linked from the front page of the website).
20th July 2017 - Railway Maps Updated
I've given my interactive historical railway maps a much-needed update. Some errors in the data have been corrected and the key has also been improved. Most importantly, the maps should now be usable on mobile devices, as well as working better on large screens.
You can find the Edinburgh railway map here and the Glasgow one here.