Pioneer Valley Landform Observatory
The Pioneer Valley Landform Observatory is a virtual educational platform that helps visitors explore the geological history and landscape of Western Massachusetts — both on-site at Mt. Pollux and remotely. Built in collaboration with institutions like UMass Amherst, the Massachusetts State Geologist, Amherst College, and others, the observatory serves as a free, public resource for learning about tectonic, glacial, and environmental landforms across the region.
From interactive VR illustrations to regional field trip guides, the website makes complex geology accessible and engaging for students, educators, and lifelong learners.
At a Glance
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Website URLhttps://pioneervalleylandformobservatory.org
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PlatformWordPress
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ServicesWeb Design, Website Development, Hosting, SEO
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RegionPioneer Valley, Western Massachusetts
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IndustryEducation / Public Outreach
Challenge
The Pioneer Valley Landform Observatory needed a new digital presence from the ground up. There was no existing platform to house the observatory’s educational materials, landform documentation, or virtual tools. Content was spread across documents, institutional repositories, and email threads — and there was no centralized way to present it to the public in an accessible, user-friendly format.
Because the site is used both on-location at Mt. Pollux and remotely, it needed to serve two modes of engagement: quick-reference tools for observers in the field, and deeper interpretive content for those browsing at home. The platform also needed to be visually intuitive, ADA-compliant, and easy to manage by a non-technical team across multiple partner institutions.
Solution
WP New England collaborated closely with the lead project coordinator to design and build a custom WordPress site tailored to the observatory’s unique goals. The project began with a clear content model: Overview, Landforms, VR Photos, Resources, and Field Trips — each mapped to user needs and physical directions at the Mt. Pollux site.
We built flexible content templates with a clean design system that balanced accessibility and academic credibility. VR image galleries, compass-based navigation references, and modular content sections allow visitors to engage with geology in both immersive and digestible ways.
The final site positions the observatory as a hybrid digital/physical learning tool — supporting field-based exploration while offering an ongoing educational resource for the broader community.