The Great Lakes Circle Tour - Coastal Access Guide is a joint project of the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and the Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Development of the project was funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program (Agreement 86003-006.28) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant # NA05NOS4191067.

One goal of this project is to encourage travelers along the Great Lakes Circle Tour to explore the many coastal access sites and natural and cultural attractions to be found on the rural roads and downtown streets that hug Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coasts.

The site uses Web mapping applications developed in Google Maps, Google Earth, and the open-source MapServer software to link Wisconsin segments of the Circle Tour to local roads, parks, beaches, lighthouses, and shipwrecks. These mapping applications allow linking to external web content about individual Great Lakes attractions.

Panorama photos covering 360 degrees were taken at over 200 public access sites and scenic vistas on Wisconsin’s Great Lakes shores. These photos are presented with a user-controllable field of view that is synchronized with a local map to indicate the direction in which the user is “looking.”

A map of webcams along Wisconsin’s Great Lakes shores provides current views of weather and activity.

Of course, the Great Lakes Circle Tour extends far beyond Wisconsin’s borders, and a second goal of this project is to stimulate thinking about a Great Lakes-wide network of coastal access guides. This project will achieve its ultimate success if it fosters similar efforts in other Great Lakes states. To that end, the “About” section contains links to the technology used here, and the “How-To” section includes guides that show how we developed many of the features of the website.

In coming months we will add recreational trails, rustic roads, wildlife areas, boat ramps, museums, historical sites, and other attractions. Enjoy your Circle Tour adventure!

Disclaimer

With respect to the information available from this website, neither the University of Wisconsin nor any of its employees or partners on the project makes any warranty, expressed or implied, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or represents that its use does not infringe privately-owned rights. The user assumes the entire risk related to use of these data and this site. In no event will the University of Wisconsin, its agents or employees, or partners on this project be liable to you or any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profits resulting from any use, misuse or reliance on any of the data or information appearing on this site. The appearance of external links on this website does not constitute endorsement by the University of Wisconsin of such sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Furthermore, unless specifically provided for, the University of Wisconsin does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

Partners

Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility, University of Wisconsin – Madison

About the Circle Tour

Includes a schematic map and description of each lake’s circle tour route, along with links to coastal cities and towns, attractions, lodging, parks, and general tourism resources.

Great Lakes Circle Tour (Great Lakes Commission)
http://www.glc.org/tourism/
http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/
 

These websites include information about the history of the Great Lakes Circle Tour, along with detailed, and well-researched, descriptions of the routes.

Great Lakes Circle Tours (WisconsinHighways.org)
Great Lakes Circle Tours (MichiganHighways.org)
Great Lakes Circle Tours (OntarioHighways.org)

Technology Used

Links to some of the technologies used to develop this site.

Web Mapping
Google Maps
Google Maps Mania
MapServer
Chameleon

Virtual Earths
Google Earth
Google Earth Blog
Google Earth Community
Google Earth Hacks
Google Touring
NASA World Wind

Panorama Photos
PhotoStitch, Canon, Inc.
Patented Mappable VR (PMVR), DuckWare