Why the heck not?
On the RestingSpot blog, Brett Atlas, a RestingSpot founder, describes the motivation for the app:
It was last year when I was getting dizzy in the backseat of my father’s car in Westlawn Cemetery in Chicago. I had been to my grandfather’s grave. I had a map. I had waited in the car twice while my Dad talked with the Westlawn staff. And yet, we were still 45 minutes late to visit my grandfather. I texted my friend Scott Kroeger and said, “There should be an app for that.”
I’m with you there, Brett. Two years ago my husband and I spent over an hour in a not-that-large cemetery searching for my great grandfather’s grave—and I had been there before with my dad. How would my children’s children ever find the spot?
Technology is the answer: Mark the spot with GPS.
But that’s only half the solution, isn’t it? You must keep the information where others can find it, today and tomorrow.
That’s where RestingSpot fills the gap. Not just a simple tool for marking the spot, it is a growing database of resting spots everywhere.
Brett says it best:
That’s how it began. Nine months later, welcome to the RestingSpot platform. Scott and I have created a service for you to literally put your loved ones on the map. With a simple push of a button, you can mark a RestingSpot for eternity. Think about that: Your great-grandchildren will be able to visit the same spot you marked.
Tomorrow — Tag along as I return to Oller Cemetery to mark the grave site of Archibald Butt, the subject of my first-ever blog post.
Amy, I was catching up on my reading when I came across this post. Have you looked at BillionGraves.com? It is similar in that it is an iPhone or Android app and has a web site. It does take a different spin, in that it tries do do whole cemeteries. They have been in operation since the week before Memorial Day and now have over 300,000 entries from quite a few places. There are entries from Sweden, Wales and Australia, as well as many states. Thought you might be interested. Finn
ReplyDeleteHi Finn--Looked at BillionGraves a while back, but for some reason it didn't catch on with me at the time. Perhaps I'll take another look someday soon.
ReplyDeleteReally, it's all about building that database, isn't it? I'm thinking life would be wonderful if FindAGrave had a smartphone app that would help us add memorials AND tag with GPS.