April 26, 2013 (Boston, Mass.) – In honor of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birthday (April 26, 1822), the National Association for Olmsted Parks ( NAOP) and Applied Geographics, Inc. ( AppGeo) today launched Olmsted Online, a Web site designed to bring together the vast collection of detailed, hand-drawn plans and drawings, as well as images of sites and parks designed by Olmsted, his sons and successor firm. AppGeo led the team that worked collaboratively with NAOP staff to design and build the Web site and is also hosting the site.

Olmsted Online’s digitized materials currently cover a pilot area of Olmsted-designed locations in and around Seattle and Spokane, Washington, including the University of Washington. There are more than 300 plans and drawings available to search and view, offering unique details and previously unavailable information about each site. Of the 300 current drawings, over 100 are geo-referenced allowing users to overlay original plans on present-day maps. In addition, Olmsted Online presents searchable data derived from the archives of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, National Park Service, for all Olmsted landscapes across North America.

Please visit AppGeo’s Web site for additional information on this unique project.

About Applied Geographics, Inc.: AppGeo provides a complete range of high-quality Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial IT consulting services and innovative solutions. In business for 22 years, AppGeo has completed more than 600 GIS consulting projects for a government and private-sector clients in a number of markets and industries in more than 35 states and territories. AppGeo’s mission is to empower people to put GIS to work every day through the intelligent use of geographic data and applications that improve workflows and increase services.

About NAOP:  The National Association for Olmsted Parks is a coalition of design and preservation professionals, historic property and park managers, scholars, municipal officials, citizen activists and representatives of numerous Olmsted organizations. Its concern is the legacy of landscape work left by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. and the firm continued by his sons. Established in 1980, NAOP is the only national organization solely dedicated to preserving the Olmsted legacy by providing the advocacy, research, education and outreach needed to protect, restore and maintain these exemplary parks and landscapes, particularly in urban areas.

For more information, please contact:
Thomas Harrington, Jr., AppGeo, (617) 447-2488; Email Contact
Heather Ahearn, AppGeo, (617) 447-2466; Email Contact
Linda Keenan, NAOP, (202) 223-9113; info@olmstedonline.org