GeoHacking http://www.geohacking.com/ Maps and Mapmaking for All en-us Copyright 2007 GeoHacking The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. The Webographer Custom Blog Software Home Locator http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/home-locator/ Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:45:00 EDT The Home Locator maps homes through its real estate search tool. The interface is clean, easy to navigate and intuitive. The Home Locator mapping application seems to tie in closely to AsFusion.com’s Real Estate Management System.Using the Home Locator you can search for homes by clicking on a map of the US. This brings up a more detailed map of the chosen area, list of local homes for sale, and a variety of filters to help you narrow the search for a home to buy.Home Locator currently allows you to filter homes in a certain area by price, number of bedrooms, baths, square footage, and more. When you select a home that is for sale you will be presented with an icon on the Yahoo web mapping service that represents the building’s location. You can zoom the Yahoo map right in on the neighborhood. Further information is given about the mapped home as a well as additional pictures.As I mentioned the Home Locator’s intuitive interface makes it a very easy to use real estate map tool for those looking to purchase a home. Because it is so simple to use I can see this being very valuable to both realtors and home buyers.You can visit the Home Locator page here. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/home-locator/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/home-locator#comments/ Map Game http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-game/ Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:55:00 EDT People use maps for all sorts of things but they also create map games that can be a great deal of fun.Sporcle.com has a number of maps that include the continents of the world, one continent for each map. These simple javascript enabled maps are blank except for the boundaries of the various countries portrayed. Your task is to type in all the names of the countries for that particular map within a set time limit.As you enter the country names onto the map interface those that are correct are automatically placed on the game map. A running total is displayed showing your correct guesses vs. the number of countries on that continent.As time runs out I am usually faced with a number of unmapped countries on the game map board. These glaring holes to my knowledge about the world and geography maps might be embarrassing but for the fact that my mapping skill is then compared to all others who have played the map game.It turns out I can hold my own. The map game tells me I rank in the upper quarter of map gamers. All the countries on that particular map are listed in order of how many players successfully guessed them.The map game has tested my memory to its limit trying to remember those many smaller countries one rarely hears about in the news but have been on the map since long before I was born. Truthfully the only continent on which I was able to name all the countries on the map is Antarctica. How many countries are in Antarctica? I won’t spoil it for you, in case you do not already know.The following will test your country map knowledge: Give the map game a try. Its fun and it may force you to take another look at a map of the world’s countries. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-game/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-game#comments/ GeoVisitors http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/geovisitors/ Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:50:00 EDT

Mapping Geo Visitors

The free GeoVisitors tool by Digital Point will map the locations of your website visitors over the last twenty-four hours.GeoVisitors uses the Google web mapping service and a small png image to alert the digital point server of every visit to your website. The Google map displays a balloon at the location of each visit that is color coded according to recency. Click it and you are given a link to its location in Google Earth.

GeoVisitors Map is Easy to Implement

What I especially like about the GeoVisitors mapping tool is that is can be implemented on a website with a minimum of effort. I simply copied and pasted a small snippet of HTML code to the page(s) on the website I wanted to track. Within a short time a map of visitors to my website was revealing some very interesting information at a glance.For example, using the Digital Point GeoVisitors mapping tool I find most of my website visitors are from the western hemisphere. However during my nighttime, when it is daylight in the part of the world opposite to my location, most visitors to the site are located in eastern hemisphere. This makes perfect mapping sense but did not really hit home until I saw it visually.

Other Uses for the GeoVisitors Mapping Tool

The GeoVisitors website visitors map tool can be used for website planning. I run a website that has sections related to several targeted areas of the world. Since the GeoVisitors mapping tool shows the majority of people in a particular part of the world are visiting between my 2am and 6am, I make sure articles specific to that area are posted every day prior to 2am so that they receive fresh content. Because I write several posts per day I, the GeoVisitors visitor mapping tool has given me insight into which I should write and post first.

GeoVisitor Map Drawbacks

One potential drawback to installing the GeoVisitors mapping widget is you are giving DigitalPoint access to a portion of your website stats. Essentially the png image is spying and reporting back to their server whenever your visitor’s browser requests it. This is necessary for the website visitors mapping tool to function but you should be aware of this.I suspect that DigitalPoint may be using Geo Visitors mapping tool for its own purposes as the mapping tool could give some excellent insight toward various web metrics over the thousands of websites it’s installed on.Regardless of Digital Points intentions in gaining access to your website visitor information, GeoVisitor will map website visitors for free. It is easy to install and gives you interesting and useful information on easy to view Google Maps.Visit the GeoVistors page and check out the website visitor mapping tool.  http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/geovisitors/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/geovisitors#comments/ Google Maps Earth Cleanup Weekend http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-earth-cleanup-weekend/ Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:10:00 EDT Google Maps is mapping an international cleanup for the weekend of Oct 13 – 14. Anyone throughout the world is encouraged to participate and can create and submit to Google a map of the area they choose to work on.The Google Maps cleanup page has a link to an easy to follow tutorial on how to create a personalized Google cleanup map. Submitted maps will then be featured on the main Google Maps cleanup page.The Google Maps website has all the information you need:
  1. Choose an area of the earth to clean up and gather some friends.
  2. Make a map using the “My Maps” tab on the Google Maps page, which is very easy to do (tutorial included).
  3. Submit your Google Cleanup Map
Making a Google cleanup map is as simple as that. The Google Maps international cleanup website also allows you to post pictures and videos. You can view the Google international cleanup map for information on other projects in your area and in other countries throughout the world. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-earth-cleanup-weekend/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-earth-cleanup-weekend#comments/ Map of Ancient Trees http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-of-ancient-trees/ Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:20:00 EDT

Mapping the Ancient Tree Hunt

The map of ancient trees on the Woodland Trust website is a fine example of a web mapping mashup using custom made maps rather than the standard fare of Google Maps, Google Earth, or Microsoft Virtual Earth.The Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Hunt website has chosen to use flash for making maps. The map interface is clean and responsive with a wide variety of choices. The location of each ancient tree is clearly marked and provided with enough information for you to visit the actual tree on the ground.When searching for mapped ancient trees a variety of map layers can be toggled on or off. You can zoom in for greater detail to a fine enough level you that you should be able to locate trees on the ground on your next outdoor trip.Woodland Trust aerial photos cover occasional areas on the maps and serve to further show the topography of ancient tree locations. This can be a great aid in finding them and helps give you an idea of the sort of environments that ancient trees thrive.An interesting feature of the ancient trees map is that as you change the zoom certain layers are automatically turned on or off according to if they are of the proper resolution. For example, the maps aerial photos are sporadic and only cover small areas. Zooming out beyond a certain resolution will cause the aerial photo layer to toggle off.The Ancient Trees map currently shows nearly 3500 trees. The Ancient Tree Hunt website has more than just tree maps. You can participate in the search for Ancient Trees to add to the online interactive map.I highly recommend the Ancient Tree Hunt interactive map as both an example of what web mappers can accomplish and as a beautiful website dedicated to the protection of our environment. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-of-ancient-trees/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-of-ancient-trees#comments/ Map of Global Migration http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-of-global-migration/ Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:59:00 EDT The Global Migration map on the NY Times website is another excellent example of a web mapping mashup. A great deal of migration information is mapped and easily taken by the website visitor.Three percent of the world's population live as migrants.  The flow of immigration has been mapped on the Global Migration Map along with a variety supporting data.

Using the Global Migration Map

Color coded circles of varying sizes map the average annual number of migrants in each of the world’s countries from the years 2000 to 2005. Features of the Global Migration Map include the net flow of migrants into the countries of the world, share of total migrants, share of local population, money sent home by migrants, and money sent home as a share of GDP. You can mouse over elements of the map to obtain the name of the country and the number value for that associated feature.As the Global Migration Map shows, migrants tend to flow from poorer nations towards the more wealthy countries as people seek jobs and opportunity. Proximity of countries on either end of the wealth scale seems to be a factor in this.This web mapping mashup shows more than simple numbers of people. For many countries migrants send so much money back home that it comprises over a quarter of its GDP. In fact some are compose of over 70% migrants!Mapping migration patterns and data serves a vital role in today's world. Maps like the Global Migration Map can be put to excellent use for planning and discussion purposes. The mapped data can often be taken in at a glance along with additional inferences and ideas for further research.Take a look at the Global Migration Map and migrate through its interface. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-of-global-migration/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-of-global-migration#comments/ California Pesticide Map http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/california-pesticide-map/ Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:20:00 EDT A California Pesticide web mapping service page is available on the CA Environmental Health Investigations branch website. This implementation is a custom Open Geospatial Consortium WMS made to be summarize information without being complex.

Another California Web Mapping Service

In this image of the pesticide map I zoomed in to the city of Stockton. The map shows pounds applied per acre for the year 2005 (an acre is a square of land about 207ft x 207ft). Kinda scary, when you consider this stuff often seeps into our water supplies and concentrates in the livestock we eat.Over use of pesticides is a worldwide problem. In seeking perfectly formed fruits and vegetables farmers are often forced to use inordinate amounts of the stuff. I would rather eat a few extra insects (all your food has insects that you do not see) than be slowly poisoned, not to mention what happens to the surrounding environment – the environment we need to survive just as much as we need food.The map of pesticide use in California uses the Google Map web mapping service to plot pesticide usage throughout the state. You can select multiple years to map, measures of application, and obtain maps of individual sites or crops. I like the toggles that control the opacity of the mapped data.California is on the leading edge of states using web mapping for public information dissemination. This web mapping service will provide metadata and other documentation for use on other websites. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/california-pesticide-map/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/california-pesticide-map#comments/ Flight Tracker Maps http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/flight-tracker-maps/ Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:45:00 EDT Flight tracker maps are a fascinating mashup of near real time online mapping of commercial flights.The flight tracker maps on the Flight Stats web site are delayed five minutes for security reasons. Simply enter a flight number and departure date to view the status of the flight on a Google map. If you just want to experiment with the flight tracking software there is a “Track Random Flight” button.

Random Flight Tracker Maps

Clicking track random flight button brings up a Google Map with an airplane icon indicating the position of the flight. The tracked flight path is traced between the flight departure location and its current position.In addition to the flight tracker maps the Flight Stats website also displays the Latitude and Longitude, altitude, speed, bearing, distance from departure and distance from arrival. The flight tracker maps page also has information on scheduled and actual flight arrivals.The flight tracker maps area also has a side panel that toggles between a map showing current airport delays, local weather and much more information.The flight tracker maps mashup using Google maps on Flight Stats mashup is so fun to use I find myself tracking flights just out of curiosity. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/flight-tracker-maps/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/flight-tracker-maps#comments/ Toronto Real Estate Maps by Realosophy http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/toronto-real-estate-maps-by-realosophy/ Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:40:00 EDT

Real Estate Maps Plus

Real Estate maps are not new news but a company called Realosophy strives to map homes for sale with all the information you need about communities and not just about the house.Realosophy is a Toronto based company that bills itself as the fresh thinker in real estate and in real estate mapping. Its housing maps come loaded with data including neighborhood profiles, school performance, and a real estate homebuyers guide available online. Everything from nearby entertainment to food, fitness, education and health are mapped with clickable icons that give you more information.

Housing Maps with Community

The Realosophy real estate maps mashup website contains handy charts and graphs with housing stats including price, housing type, number of bedrooms per home, and more. This multiple data approach to mapping real estate parameters means you can compare neighborhoods and housing down to minute detail.Checking neighborhoods using the real estate maps gives you a sense of what each community is about. Does it seem to be family oriented? Professional? Retirees? Try getting that information from ordinary real estate maps on most realtor websites.

Explore Using Real Estate Maps

Even if you are not on the market for real estate, the Realosophy maps make for very interesting exploring. Try clicking around a neighborhood to discover amenities you may have never noticed. Keep tabs on your neighbors and find out the value of the home they have on the real estate market.This is possibly the best Housing Maps mashup I have seen using the Google Maps web mapping service.  Before you buy a home in Toronto be sure to check out the Toronto real estate maps mashup by Realosophy. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/toronto-real-estate-maps-by-realosophy/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/toronto-real-estate-maps-by-realosophy#comments/ California School Finder Maps http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/california-school-finder-maps/ Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:15:00 EDT The California School Finder mapping application gives you information on California schools and the ability to compare performance curriculum. School Finder uses MicroSoft Virtual Earth as its web mapping service. Data comes from the California Dept of Education.To use the School Finder mapping application you can search by school type, city, zip code, region and radius. Virtual Earth maps the area of interest showing color coded pushpins representing the types of school. Simply click a pushpin to view a detailed virtual earth aerial image of the neighborhood with a plethora of information for that school.A comments section to the California School Finder maps seems to be missing. If implemented the map would be of even greater service. Perhaps the comments themselves could even be mapped by neighborhood to get a more personalized view from those who live nearby each school.Another excellent use of Virtual Earth, California School finder plots decision making information onto an easy to use online web mapping service of great use to the community. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/california-school-finder-maps/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/california-school-finder-maps#comments/ Google Transit Labs Integrated with Google Maps http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-transit-labs-integrated-with-google-maps/ Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:30:00 EDT Google Transit Labs has public transit maps for over twenty cities in the US, plus all regional and national rail networks, domestic airlines and ferries in Japan. These Google Transit Maps are now integrated with Google Maps. If your city is currently covered, you will see a “Take Public Transit” option on the top panel that will get you started.

Google Transit Maps with Options

Google public transit maps give you detailed directions on how to use public transit systems in a number of cities. You receive suggested methods of getting from point A to point B with arrival and departure times. But that is not all. There is an options tab that gives you the ability to choose your own departure and arrival times or get reverse map directions.The Google transit maps interface also has links to local agencies for last-minute news, service changes or interruptions to the transit route you have chosen.An interesting feature of the Google transit maps is the cost comparison between driving and taking public transit. This is often quite significant. In addition, taking public transit is usually easier than fighting traffic and seeking out places to park your vehicle.You can also map public transit trips with your own itineraries. As additional cities are added to Google transit maps I see this as becoming one of the major web map services Google has so far put online.

Socially Responsible Mapping

These maps also serve as an important reminder of how small inputs can have far reaching and lasting effects.  With Google Maps being used by millions of people throughout the cities of the world, I expect the Google Transit Maps to introduce many to the benefits of public transit that include cost and time savings as well as a greener earth. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-transit-labs-integrated-with-google-maps/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-transit-labs-integrated-with-google-maps#comments/ NYC Subway Smell Map http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/nyc-subway-smell-map/ Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:55:00 EDT Finally someone is mapping the wonderful subway smells of New York City.I have always said that as I approach large cities I can smell the urine from ten miles out, the emptying of ten thousand bladders in alleyways on a daily basis. The Gawker New York City Subway Smell Map attempts to map the origion of that smell and more as it traces the odiferous paths of the NYC subway lines as detected by those who ride them.When you mouse over a station the subway smell map displays the station name, subway lines, and smell types encountered there. Mapped color coded smells include the usual array of alcohol, body odor, feces, urine, and vomit that help make the city what it is. Click on a subway station to view a popup with subway smell reports sent in by smell map enthusiasts.The NYC Subway Smell Map is a visual aid to the oft insulted sense of smell. Now you too can track the origions of NYC smells right down to a specific latitude / longitude. Another fine use of Google Maps for mapping the senses. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/nyc-subway-smell-map/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/nyc-subway-smell-map#comments/ Virtual Video Map http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/virtual-video-map/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:25:00 EDT The Virtual Video Map mashup plots videos onto the Google Map service. Simply click a marker view a virtual video taken at that location. Now you can explore the world almost as though you are at these locations yourself. For the most part this simple web map service mashup is using videos gleaned from YouTube. I especially enjoyed the video mapped street scenes in South East Asia, with hustle and bustle of everyday life. The Virtual Video Map shows a great deal of promise and I hope its developers choose to go further with the idea. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/virtual-video-map/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/virtual-video-map#comments/ Technology Job Market Maps http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/technology-job-market-maps/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:01:00 EDT The Odinjob website has a series of mashup maps using its “most relevant technology job search engine” combined with Google Maps. Job data is both mapped and displayed in handy charts and graphs.The job market map can be toggled according to a variety of parameters including median salary, job demaind, metro and state level stats, salaries, and even a total jobs heat map. You can also update the jobs map by clicking on job skills links.You can use the technology jobs map to find employment in the field and location of your choice. The technology job market map is a handy way to view salaries for the various technical jobs and get an idea of just where they are. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/technology-job-market-maps/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/technology-job-market-maps#comments/ Google Maps vs Open Source Maps http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-vs-open-source-maps/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EDT The open source mapping community is large and thriving. Over at Charlie Savages Blog he discusses whether or not open source maps can ever compete head to head and win out over web mapping services like Google Maps.As Charlie points out, open source mapping can compete with the big map services only in some areas. For example, open mapping software has a chance because of the huge number of mapping programmers willing to donate time, energy and resources.The problems open map services face against the likes of Google Maps and Google Earth is the massive infrastructure it takes to distribute millions of map renderings across the internet.Perhaps the most formidable open map service problem is the acquisition of vast amounts of imagery data that is not only difficult to accumulate but also often very expensive.In my opinion the big online web mapping services like Yahoo Maps and Google Maps  complement the efforts of open source mappers.  Both have their merits and much can be gained by using both for a wide variety of mapping projects.Join in on the web mapping discussion Can Open Source maps Dethrone Google Maps? One day the geospatially correct answer may just be “Yes”. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-vs-open-source-maps/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-vs-open-source-maps#comments/ New Google Earth High Resolution Satellite Imagery http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/new-google-earth-high-resolution-satellite-imagery/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:05:00 EDT Google Earth high resolution satellite imagery has been newly published for large areas. The new satellite images cover portions of some 130 countries and will soon also be available on Google Maps.

Higher Satellite Image Resolution

The Google Latitude Longitude Blog states the satellite image resolution is 60 centimeters. This is a significant improvement over the previous image data for these areas and I look forward to the time when the entire world has free high resolution imagery online.The Google lat-long blog also has a fun post on cool places to explore using the new Google Earth satellite images. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/new-google-earth-high-resolution-satellite-imagery/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/new-google-earth-high-resolution-satellite-imagery#comments/ Building Permits Mapping Mashup http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/building-permits-mapping-mashup/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:25:00 EDT The New York Times building permits map is another Google web map mashup created by the newspaper as a public service. The mapping data is supplied by the NYC Department of buildings.The New York City Building Permits map lets you search by borough, neighborhood, time, and type of permit. The results are mapped on Google Maps above a clickable list of those meeting your criteria. The building data includes address, location, permit issue date, filing status, and expiration date.The New York Times seems to be increasing its online news mapping efforts in recent months. News is very much location specific. Mapping the news adds the third dimension that flat paper reporting often lacks. The NY Times building permits map is an example of what can be accomplished when combining news and maps online. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/building-permits-mapping-mashup/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/building-permits-mapping-mashup#comments/ Google Maps News Archive Demo http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-news-archive-demo/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:45:00 EDT Mapping the news gives an added dimension to the old New Media by combining two of the most popular uses for the web, news and maps. The New York Times website has some thirteen million articles in its online archives, dating back to 1851. Rather than take the NewsMap online mapping route, the New York Times is trying to map the actual text of its news archives.

Free Mapped News Archives

Still in experimental phase, the Times and Space news map site is a Google Maps mashup work in progress. In fact the code for the Times and Space map is available for free download. Like the pre-1923 New York Times archives the mapping code for Times and Space is in the public domain which means you can modify it for your own web mapping services.Online news has taken away readership from floundering newspapers throughout the world. The New York Times Times and Space news map mashup is a step in the right direction for newspapers that want to compete on a global scale in new media. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-news-archive-demo/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-news-archive-demo#comments/ Mapping Baby Names with Google Maps http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/mapping-baby-names-with-google-maps/ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:15:00 EDT The Baby Name Map is a Google Maps mashup where you can easily browse the most common baby names by location. Expecting parents can visually see the most common baby names in their area with a click on the map.  You can also upload pictures of people you know who have a certain first name and comment on your favorite baby names.

You Still Have Your Baby Name 

The name your parents chose for you sticks for your entire life.  The handy map of baby names gives parents the ability to quickly scan their area and choose a baby name that has quality but also relative uniqueness. Baby name maps are a unique and interesting use of Google Maps.  The Baby Name Map is further proof that when you put the means to map in the hands of the masses they will reproduce at an ever growing rate. Reproduce maps, that is. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/mapping-baby-names-with-google-maps/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/mapping-baby-names-with-google-maps#comments/ Google Earth Census Explorer http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-earth-census-explorer/ Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:35:00 EDT The Google Earth Census Explorer is a web mapping service mashup that displays graphical United States census data. All you need is Google Earth installed on your windows enabled computer and access to the internet.Google Earth Census Explorer will show color coded boundaries related to US census variables, as well as 3D boundaries, bars, pie charts, statistics, histograms, and scatter plots. You can save data sets as KML, KMZ,CSV and DBF files.The census mapping software runs as a toolbar from your desktop and a browser based version is planned. Because the Google Earth Census Explorer mashup is freeware you can modify for your own uses. This means you can tweak it to map the census data of countries other than the US. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-earth-census-explorer/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-earth-census-explorer#comments/ Map Gigapan Multibillion Pixel Panoramas http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-gigapan-multibillion-pixel-panoramas/ Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:15:00 EDT Turn an ordinary off the shelf digital camera into a panoramic camera with billion pixel resolution. Geocode your panorama and map the image onto the Google Earth web mapping service.

How Gigapan Panoramic Images are Made

Gigapan enables even inexpensive digital cameras to take hundreds of overlapping digital images that are then programmatically stitched together into a single panoramic image. Because each image can be composed of billions of pixels, the resolution is astounding. Gigapan images can be panned and features zoomed to amazing detail not available on ordinary digital images.Gigapan images are created using a robotic camera mounted on a tripod and software developed by Carnegie Mellon University and NASA Ames Research Center. The Gigapan system can be combined with web mapping services to give detailed views of geographic features.

Gigapan and Google Earth

There is also a Google Earth Gigapan layer that allows mapping enthusiasts to fly into the panoramas during online geodiscovery expeditions. Exciting educational and buisiness possibilities abound with combination Gigapan panoramas and web mapping services. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-gigapan-multibillion-pixel-panoramas/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/map-gigapan-multibillion-pixel-panoramas#comments/ Minimap Sidebar for Google Maps on FireFox http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/minimap-sidebar-for-google-maps-on-firefox/ Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:45:00 EDT The MiniMap Sidebar extension for the FireFox browser puts powerful mapping tools within easy reach. For those of us who frequently use online mapping services the Mini Map mashup adds an easily available level of functionality to our online browsing.

A Variety of Web Mapping Services

The MiniMap Sidebar allows you to easily switch between several of the most widely used internet mapping services including:
  • Google Maps
  • Yahoo Maps
  • Windows Live Local
  • Google Earth

Geodiscovery with MiniMap

With MiniMap mapping addresses is as easy as highlighting the address and then dragging and dropping addresses onto MiniMap from the web page you are on. The location is then kept on the mapping interface so that you can easily navigate to the same spot later on. Additional web mapping functionality includes obtaining latitude and longitude, generating the code needed to embed a map into a web page, sending a link to the map via email, and route directions using several of the web mapping services. Some websites now include positional information in the form of geotags, and the MiniMap Sidebar allows you to quickly view the geographical locations. The MiniMap interface also gives the ability to view Google Earth KML files before opening the map service.

The Geolocative Web

The Minimap Sidebar is another excellent web map service mashup that shows great promise as the internet becomes more geolocative. This is good news for the web mapping community and those of us who use maps for work and play. Nice work Spatial Views! http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/minimap-sidebar-for-google-maps-on-firefox/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/minimap-sidebar-for-google-maps-on-firefox#comments/ Google Maps API vs Microsoft Live Maps API http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-api-vs-microsoft-live-maps-api/ Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:35:00 EDT Should you use Google Maps API or Live Maps API for your internet mapping? I have wracked my brains about which web mapping service to use.Comparing the recency and resolution of satellite imagery and aerial photos it is obvious there are differences between each web map service, and these vary according to location. In addition the web map services provide varying degrees of functionality and support beyond simply viewing the maps that can be important to your mapping projects.Choosing the best internet mapping API is a tough call and the issue is being discussed on Slashdot. This informative discussion also brings up the possibilities of using MapQuest, Yahoo Maps API, and even OpenStreetMap.So is it Google Maps API or Microsoft Live Maps API? Maybe you should be using both for your online mapping! http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-api-vs-microsoft-live-maps-api/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-maps-api-vs-microsoft-live-maps-api#comments/ OpenStreetMap Completes Netherlands Mapping Project http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/openstreetmap-completes-netherlands-mapping-project/ Sat, 29 Sep 2007 06:55:00 EDT The Netherlands is the first country to be completely mapped by OpenStreetMap. This milestone is hoped to spur a further interest in the open mapping project. Throughout the world most maps come with strings attached. Even supposedly free maps are usually hobbled with trademarks and copyrights. The OpenStreetMap project aims to change all that and has a wide following of users and contributors. OpenStreetMap is an open mapping project where anyone can contribute to an editable map of the world. The “Free Wiki World Map” is an ongoing mapping project of the masses, a collaborative mapping project that makes its geographic data freely available to anyone, anywhere, for any purpose. The OpenStreetMap mapping project was recently granted 12,000 euro to create 10 mapping groups to focus on Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and the Hague. With the Netherlands OpenStreetMap project a great success I am looking forward to seeing my favorite areas mapped and available. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/openstreetmap-completes-netherlands-mapping-project/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/openstreetmap-completes-netherlands-mapping-project#comments/ Google Earth and the Sierra Club 52 Places in the US http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-earth-and-the-sierra-club-52-places-in-the-us/ Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:55:00 EDT The Sierra Club is using Google Earth as a mapping aid for its America’s Wild Legacy effort. The club has chosen one place in each of the states and Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia as national treasures that need protection. These 52 places have been mapped on Google Earth and are available in a Wild Legacy kmz file. Unchecked development has devastated many of the special lands throughout the United States. Unsustainable development threatens to destroy America’s Wild Legacy at an ever increasing rate and robs us all of irreplaceable natural resources. The Sierra Club wants to protect these 52 places over the next 10 years. I know this to be true as I am fortunate to live in a beautiful area where poor development choices have taken many wonderful places from public access and harmed irreplaceable resources that are far more valuable as public treasures. The Google Earth map of America’s Wild Legacy contains placemarks with description bubbles containing photos and links to the Sierra Club website and the America’s Wild Legacy 52 Places Report. Because maps are intuitive to most people, Google Earth can be used to convey a large mount of information at a glance. Anyone who visits the American's Wild Legacy web page is going to click on the Google Earth location for his state and probably explore other legacy areas throughout the United States. http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-earth-and-the-sierra-club-52-places-in-the-us/ http://www.geohacking.com/geohacks/google-earth-and-the-sierra-club-52-places-in-the-us#comments/