[wesvance]

I built https://explorehere.app to help you learn about the history of the world around you by sending a push notification whenever you pass a new historical marker on your travels!

It’s a freemium app with a pro subscription for advanced features; our revenue is just under $1k/month.

We’re working towards ExploreHere being a passive adventure guide. As you go about your travels ExploreHere will nudge you about interesting information wherever you go; history, unique things to see, special food known only in the city you’re in, etc.

[rgovostes]

In the days before global data plans, there was an amazing offline travel companion app called Triposo that was well before its time. One of its best features was to guide you toward nearby places of interest. I remember in ~2012 visiting Paris and being led to a historic but dilapidated building that used to be a notable school, near to where I was staying but not along the walk to the metro station so I never would have seen it otherwise.

It was really one of the most unforgettable travel tech experiences. I was still free to explore at my whim, but it gave some context to what was around me. It wasn't just the over-trafficked tourist highlights, but the whole city. ExploreHere seems like it could have a similar impact.

The Triposo team briefly made a cute app called Walter that was basically a minimalist indication of nearby POIs using the device compass for orientation: https://web.archive.org/web/20170607100433/https://www.tripo...

There's a post-mortem of the company from @dosinga here: https://dosinga.medium.com/leaving-triposo-9d35f72ce28

[wesvance]

Thanks for sharing that! I haven't heard of Triposo before, so that was really helpful!

I think these kind of 'passive' trip companions are difficult to sell as they inherently fade into the background and support your trip, rather than trying to take all your attention and 'be the trip'...

But thats the kind of software I like and the kind I think we should try and build more of! Personally, when I'm exploring a new place I just want to 'do me' and have some gentle nudges if I'm near something really cool.

[fm2606]

Just a few weeks ago I was on a trip through back roads of NC and VA and saw a bunch of historical markers and wondered how to do something with them. And now I know.

My thinking was to stop and get a gps coordinate and then what? How do I get them all across the states? And that is about how far my thinking got before a SQUIRREL ran through my brain.

Glad to see some of my thoughts aren't to far out there. Now just have to work on DOING instead of THINKING.

[awesome_dude]

Start small, get the GPS co-ords of those markers, and create your visualisations, etc.

Then share them with family/friends

Then they'll start collecting marker co-ords for you

THEN worry about how to get strangers involved (using/submitting/etc)

Facebook started with a single University...

[fm2606]

Great point. Thanks for sharing.

I admit I get the cart before the horse.

I'm not looking for life changing money, but it would be nice to actually be able to submit a $500 mrr project here on HN.

These are my favorite threads

[PTOB]

I too had this experience in Texas over the holidays. Sigh.

[trbleclef]

Many are probably already in HMDB.

https://www.hmdb.org/

[wesvance]

Good shoutout - We partner with them to pull in HMDB data into the ExploreHere app We link back to them in the app too, at the bottom we show the 'source' of the info we pulled in.

[audiala]

Love this source, didn't know about it!

[fm2606]

Me either.

[yesthisiswes]

My neighbor and I were talking a few months back and he had the same idea. He said he drove by the historical markers all the time it would be cool to know what they all said. Cool idea just sent him this app!

[Cannabat]

I'd love to use this but there appears to be no coverage of my country. Any plans to expand coverage to other regions?

[wesvance]

We do! I'm in Japan right now, taking photos of as many markers as possible that I'll add into the app when I get back! We're also releasing a 'submission app' in early 2025 that will let you submit markers and get them added into the app so we can expand into more places!

[galvanizednuts]

I was thinking of making something along the lines of this… good execution

[gcj]

Where you guys hiring in the past?

I remember reading a pitch for this site and the layout also looks familiar

[wesvance]

We haven't ever hired anyone; its just 2 of us, but I've shared on HN before, so maybe you saw it then?

[ThePowerOfFuet]

I find it disturbing how many people allow apps to access their location 24/7.

[Suppafly]

>I find it disturbing how many people allow apps to access their location 24/7.

Why? It doesn't effect you at all.

[kevin_thibedeau]

It's all being sold. It allows data brokers to build invasive behaviorial profiles.

[dewey]

It's being sold if the app you are giving access to is selling it. Don't use apps that do?

Might also want to check your phone providers ToS to see what they are doing with your location data.

[jpcom]

Maybe he's a healthcare CEO