Late in 2022, BRVCA embarked on an important project honoring the rich history of the Bridge River Valley and its people. This Cemetery Mapping Project aimed to address both the needs of the community – past, present, and future – as well as the needs of Bridge River Valley Community
Association in their operation of the Cemetery. The goals of the project were to improve the accuracy, utility, and accessibility of the cemetery map in order to assist the BRV community to preserve its history as well as to support family and friends to pay their respects to loved ones.
Following a tedious process of reviewing and updating all information pertaining to the operation of the cemetery including policies, procedures, forms, reservation files, and interment files, BRVCA began updating the digital map that was initially developed in 2014. This map had been plotted using GPS coordinates and was the most accurate, although out-of-date, map of the cemetery and, therefore, served as the starting point for this mapping project.
In the fall of 2022, BRVCA purchased the mapping software that would allow us to update the original digital map. With some guidance from SLRD Regional Director, Sal Demare, staff learned basic mapping
techniques, and the map was complete and ready for next steps near the end of 2022. The updated map was then used as the launching point for this project. We shared the map with the technical team at Peak Geospatial, who helped us to create a project plan and successful funding proposal to SLRD (who provided partial funding for the project).
The project began in February 2023 and completed in May 2023 – on time and on budget. Here is what we accomplished:
- Unique Identifiers for all Individuals: We created a numbering system to identify and locate each plot and interment site in the cemetery – allowing for family plots with multiple sets of remains.
- For example, A23-1 refers to the unique individual found in section A, plot number 23, and interment site 1. This numbering system is the basis for the entire system, which matches
- individuals to their personal information and their location in the cemetery.
- Private versus Public Information: We audited each cemetery file to ensure that the information we have is accurate and up-to-date as well as to safeguard against sharing information that is considered private. To do this, we created a database that could identify and link sharable
- information to the public map while blocking private information from being shared publicly.
- Searchable Web Map that is to scale and geographically accurate: With help from Michelle Nortje, who took new aerial imagery of the cemetery using a drone, the mapping experts at Peak Geospatial were able to adjust the alignment of each plot to ensure it matched with the
- plot borders visible on the web map. This ensures that the search function that allows web map users to enter a name, date, or place of birth or death leads to accurate results whether the user is searching online from afar or (eventually) in person at the cemetery.
- Plot and Headstone Photos: We reviewed and updated (as necessary) photos of each plot and headstone in the cemetery and created a photo database using the same unique plot and interment site naming conventions that would allow us to match the photos to the web map plots and the personal information for each individual.
- Memorial Plaques: We took photos and logged names of individuals honoured on the FRIENDS of the BRV memorial monument and the Cenotaph and added them to the map to ensure those names and photos could be accessed via the web map as well.
- Instruction Tool: To facilitate use of the web map, Peak Geospatial also provided a basic instruction manual to help users navigate the web map and utilize its various features.
Here are the links to the Cemetery Web Map and the User Guide.
We are excited to launch this web map and eager to build upon it in the future. In addition to ongoing updates and information management requirements, next steps will likely be to identify and plot
remaining available space in the cemetery as well as to create a site map and directory that is available at the cemetery site in Gold Bridge. This site map will allow visitors to search names and find the exact plot location so that they can navigate the cemetery grounds more easily.
If you would like to support the ongoing work related to preserving and operating this heritage Cemetary, make a donation here. Choose cemetary from drop down menu.
