SAVANNAH — The Georgia Historical Society has recently incorporated an advanced, custom web application to enhance the tourism component of the Georgia Historical Marker Program, a collection of historical data including events, locations, people, battles, parks, counties and beyond.

"For nearly 175 years, the Georgia Historical Society has collected, preserved and shared Georgia and American history through a variety of educational outreach programs, publications and research services," said Laura Garcia-Culler, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "With the help of Smack Dab Studios and their forward-thinking interpretations of what the future of historical education should be, GHS was able to surge beyond our initial hopes for an advance web application to enhance our Historical Marker Program."

GHS is responsible for the management and accuracy of each historical marker detail. As part of its efforts to encourage local tourism and general state-wide interest, Garcia-Culler said she believes the society has taken a step in connecting tech-savvy tourists and history buffs of all ages to unique historic locations.

"We wanted to provide our website users with an outstanding tool for learning about and preserving the history of the State of Georgia," she said. "These historical markers serve to educate citizens and visitors alike about the people and events that have shaped our past and present, making this an important project by which the Georgia Historical Society ensures a future for the past."

The application, developed by Smack Dab Studios, allows visitors to search historical events, locations, people, battles, parks, counties and beyond based on specific keyword, subject and regional searches. Other services include driving directions and specific GPS coordinates provided by the integrated Google Maps as well as information on historic sites, lodging, restaurants and other attractions in the counties along the mapped route.

"GHS envisioned a more advanced marker system that incorporated the latest database technology," said Hannah Byrne, Smack Dab owner. "This new program is one of our leading examples of the kind of custom applications we are becoming known for in the regional area."