First GPS mobile Gettysburg battlefield tour unveiled

New “battle app” provides visitors with own personal historian

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – November 12, 2010

The Civil War Preservation Trust recently unveiled its first “Battle App,” a mobile battlefield tour that takes advantage of the GPS technology and Apple’s iPhone platform.

The Gettysburg Battle App, which focuses on battle action that occurred at Devil’s Den and Little Round Top, was created in partnership with Intermap Technologies, an industry leader in mobile GPS-enabled touring.

“Our new Gettysburg Battle App adds a new dimension to the battlefield experience,” said CWPT President James Lighthizer. “It is filled with a wealth of information, including audio and video content and CWPT’s trademark battlefield maps enhanced with GPS technology. Now anyone can enjoy the benefits of a historian-led tour of the Gettysburg battlefield. It puts history right at your fingertips.”

The Battle App features a GPS-guided battlefield tour with numerous “virtual signs” and other points of interest that can be accessed with a few simple clicks. Each stop along the way contains a rich description of the historical significance of the site, along with photos, video commentary from battlefield experts and audio accounts from the soldiers and civilians who trod this ground during the Civil War.

“This new technology will make it easier than ever before for more visitors to the Gettysburg Battlefield to enjoy the benefits of a historian led tour,” said Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Timothy Smith. “These new Battle Apps are simple to use, yet full of valuable information about the men who fought at Devil’s Den and Little Round Top. The breadth of material included allows for almost unlimited customization of your personal battlefield tour.”

Once downloaded from the Apple iTunes store, the program is resident on the iPhone – meaning a visitor can wander the battlefield without worry they may stray too far from a cell signal. After downloading the application, a user can review the content anywhere – the only aspects of the program that won’t function away from the intended battlefield are the GPS features.

Initially, the application will only be available for iPhone, but CWPT will work with our technology partner to make our Battle Apps available on other GPS-enabled platforms, like Blackberry and Android phones, in the future.

Although only the Devils Den and Little Round Top tour is currently available, a second project featuring the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg is already in production. Future Battle Apps for other popular battlefields, including, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Chickamauga, Manassas, Shiloh and the Wilderness, are also planned.

For more information about the content, use and availability of GPS-enable CWPT Battle Apps, please visit www.civilwar.org/battleapp.

With 55,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds. CWPT has helped preserve more than 29,000 acres of battlefield land across the nation. CWPT’s website is www.civilwar.org.

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