Google Maps Mania

The Canadian Census on Google Maps

2012-02-09T07:03:00.003-05:00

Global News has been busy mapping the 2011 Canadian census for 15 cities. Mapping the Census, Tract by Tract maps the population data captured by the 2011 census down to individual tract level.

Users can click on any of the individual tracts displayed on the Google Map and view the 2005 and 2011 population at that location and the population change in those five years. Individual tracts are also colour-coded on the map so users can tell at a glance which areas in each of the cities mapped are showing population growth or loss.

Martian Street View

2012-02-08T14:55:00.005-05:00

A couple of week ago I started working on creating a Martian Street View Map using panoramas of Mars captured from NASA's Mars' missions.

I ran into a few problems with the map and more or less gave up on the project until Rob of Map Channels stepped in and kindly offered to help. Thanks to Rob we now have a working Martian Street View Map

There are a few problems with the map - all of which are due to me and are not a result of Rob's excellent work. I had a lot of difficulty working out where the panoramas should be located on the map - in fact I'm fairly certain I've actually put nearly all of them in the wrong place (if you spot errors in the geo-location of the images and know the correct latitude and longitude for Google Mars please let us know in the comments).

There are also some problems in the way different browsers display the panoramas. I think the Street Views should display properly in Firefox but may look strange in some versions of Chrome and Internet Explorer.

John Snow's Cholera Map on Google Maps

2012-02-08T10:24:00.006-05:00

CartoDB is a great platform that allows you to map data and develop location aware applications quickly and easily. In CartoDB's demo gallery you can find this example of John Snow's Cholera Map of London presented with CartoDB.

The map demonstrates how CartoDB is able to quickly combine different data-types and display them on a map. John Snow's spot map of a cholera outbreak in Soho, London in 1854 helped to prove that the disease was caused by water (coming from one pump in Broad Street).

If you want to see John Snow's original map using the Google Maps zooming and panning tools then you should check out Hypercities.

Hypercities is a Google Maps mashup of historical maps available for many of the world's cities. Hypercities allows the user to navigate a selection of historical maps using the familiar Google Maps navigation tools. If you zoom into London on Hypercities you can choose to view John Snow's map overlaid on top of the modern map of London.

Syrian Tweets on Google Maps

2012-02-08T07:37:00.004-05:00

The Syrian city of Homs is entering its fifth day of heavy bombardment from President Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime.

Mibazaar has rolled out his popular Tweet mapping format to show Twitter messages posted from within a 400 mile radius of Damascus, Syria. His Syria Protests map animates through the latest Tweets with the hashtag #Syria, showing a new message after every 4-5 seconds.

New 45° imagery for 24 cities

2012-02-07T21:57:00.004-05:00

San Sebastian City Hall, Spain

Google Maps just got a huge new update of 45° imagery (Bird's Eye View) for 24 cities.

The update includes oblique aerial view imagery for 15 U.S. and 7 international locations, including San Sebastian and Pamplona in Spain and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Here's the full list of updated imagery:

US:
Charleston-Folly Beach, SC; Lee’s Summit, KS; Lexington, SC; Magna (Salt Lake City), UT; North Charleston, SC; Pine Island Center, FL; Plymouth, MN; Salinas CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Shawnee, KS; South Hill, WA; Spanish Springs, NV; Killeen, TX; Decatur, AL

Europe:
Torrelavega, Spain; Pamplona, Spain; San Sebastian, Spain; Bailen, Spain; Rolle, Switzerland; Ponferrada, Spain; Wachtberg, Germany; Weinheim, Germany

South America:
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Via: Google Lat Long

Congressional Nepotism on Google Maps

2012-02-07T07:44:00.004-05:00

The Washington Post's Mapping the Earmarks uses the Google Maps API with some custom map tiles to show where congressional representatives have directed earmarks and other public projects next to or within about two miles of their own property.

The data for the map comes from public records on the holdings of all 535 members. The Post's investigation also found examples where tax dollars were given to companies, colleges or community programs where representatives' "spouses, children or parents work as salaried employees or serve on boards".

The History of Weather on Google Maps

2012-02-07T04:45:00.005-05:00

Weather Underground's WunderMap now allows the user to view historical weather records on a Google Map.

A calendar control above the map allows the user to select a date and view the historical weather records for that day. The records include radar, storm reports and even weather related photographs and webcam images taken on that day.

WeatherSpark also lets you view historical weather on a Google Map, giving you access to the historical records of over 4,000 weather stations.

If you want to know what the weather was like in Honolulu on the day of Barack Obama's birth in August 1961 all you have to do is use the time-line to bring up the correct date, and centre the map on Honolulu. You can then view the recorded weather for that day (a balmy 30 degrees centigrade).

As well as the map view WeatherSpark has an impressive time-line interface that allows the user to visualise changing temperatures, precipitation and cloud cover through time.

Fun Flight Guides with Google Maps

2012-02-06T15:56:00.005-05:00

I've been a long time fan of The Royal Geographic Society's Hidden Journeys website. The Hidden Journeys Project enlivens the flying experience and transforms it into a fascinating exploration of the people, places and environments being flown over.

Hidden Journeys has just released their latest journey guide for those flying over the mountainous landscape that lies between Denver and Seattle, including the rugged Wind River Range in Wyoming; Craters of the Moon National Monument and the Salmon River Range in Idaho, the picturesque Palouse Region and the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

You can view the flight path on a Google Map and use the guide to learn how the power of glaciers, rivers and the wind have shaped these mountains into some of the highest peaks in the continent. See the classic cones of the Cascade Mountains as you descend towards Seattle, and discover the influence these active volcanoes have on the Pacific Northwest, from the impact of devastating eruptions to the ash-fall deposits that have created the most productive farming region in the country.

If you are planning a flight any time soon then make sure you check out the Hidden Journeys website to see if they have a guide for your journey.

Get an Uberlife with Google Maps

2012-02-06T10:09:00.003-05:00

Uberlife is a website and iPhone app that helps you discover and join 'hangouts' taking place around you.

Using uberlife it is possible to find nearby events and hangouts happening right now or that are occurring soon. Users can add their likes and interests to their profile to ensure that they receive suggested hangouts from like-minded people. Users can also 'follow' other users to receive their 'hangout' suggestions.

To add a suggested hangout simply involves suggesting a venue (with the help of Google Maps), entering the time and date and adding some information about the hangout. If you find a hangout that you wish to attend you can view the location of the venue with the help of the Google Map added to the hangout page.

It's Google Maps, But Not As We Know It

2012-02-06T05:30:00.000-05:00

Blocky Earth is a fabulous WebGL experiment using the Google Maps API to show a 3d representation of the Earth.

To view the map you will probably need to use the Chrome browser as Blocky Earth uses canvas and WebGL to render locations representing terrain and elevation with cubic blocks. The map includes a search option so you can choose to view any location on the Earth.

The map also has options to zoom in and out, rotate the map and to view it in full-screen mode.

Google Maps of the Week

2012-02-05T07:32:00.003-05:00

This week's most popular map on Google Maps Mania by a country mile was the Skyrim Map. This map of the popular role-playing game was viewed by at least five times more people than any other map I posted about this week.

The Skyrim Map uses custom map tiles with the Google Maps API to provide an interactive map of the Elder Scrolls game-world of Tamriel. The map includes the option to view markers showing the locations of holds and primary locations in the game.

Personally my favourite map of the last week was Ejecuciones en Chile entre septiembre y diciembre de 1973. This map is a powerful and poignant animated map visualisation of people executed by the Chilean military dictatorship between September 11 and December 31, 1973.

The map animates through a time-line of the executions geo-locating those murdered by place of death or where the body was discovered. As well as providing an animated time-line of the executions the map can be browsed by location, date of death, cause of death and by the name of individual victims of the 1970's Chilean dictatorship.

Finally, this week I was alos impressed with Deutsche Telekom's Worldwide Operations Map. The map itself is a simple store-locator that shows the scope of Deutsche Telekom's worldwide operations and lists the names of its companies operating in various countries around the world.

The map uses the Google Maps API Styled Maps feature to create a map that complements the colors of the company's corporate style and website design. There is nothing amazingly innovative about the map but it does it's job with little fuss and yet has a striking design.

How to Find Vacant Street Parking Spots

2012-02-04T06:31:00.005-05:00

San Francisco is rolling out an intelligent car parking system. 8,200 street parking spaces now have magnetic sensors that are networked to report on which parking spots are occupied and which are currently vacant.

If motorists visit the SFpark website they can view a real-time Google Map of available street parking spaces. Colored lines on the roads on the map show which streets are part of the intelligent parking system scheme. The lines are also color-coded to give an overview of current parking space availability (blue = high availability and red = low). If users click on any of the colored roads they can find out exactly how many parking spaces are available.

As well as showing in real-time the availability of street car parking spaces the map shows the number of spaces available in the city's parking garages. The data is also available in a free app for iPhone and Android phones.

Support François Hollande on Google Maps

2012-02-03T09:56:00.003-05:00

The official website, TousHollande, of François Hollande, the Socialist nomination for the French presidential elections, is using Google Maps on its homepage to show user submitted messages of support.

Supporters of Hollande can add their support to the map by filling in a short form (or use Facebook Connect to sign-in) and see their own messages appear on the map. The map itself animates through the support messages already added to the map.

The map does an impressive job in creating the image of a candidate with nationwide support. It is also a very effective method for building a database of enthusiastic supporters. To add your support to the map you have to agree that you support the candidacy of Francois Hollande and wish to be informed about news of the campaign.

It would be very interesting to know whether this proves a more effective way of building a mailing list of supporters than the more traditional methods used in previous campaigns.

Laser Firing UFO Caught on Google Maps

2012-02-03T06:14:00.009-05:00

I don't know how the governments of the world managed to hush this one up. Here Google Maps provides further proof that aliens already walk among us. In 'fact' this satellite view shows the Dutch town of Breda whilst actually under attack from a multi-laser firing UFO.

More proof of little green men found on Google Maps can be seen here.

I Am a Name, Not a Number

Fans of the original cult 1960's TV show The Prisoner will be delighted to hear that the village of Portmeirion in Wales now has Street View. Much of the success of the show was due to it being shot in this wonderfully unique Welsh village.

The village was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and really is a beautiful place to visit. If you can't get to Portmeirion in person you can now at least take a virtual stroll around the village in Google Maps.

A Penny-Farthing Towing a Platypus

One of my life's ambitions was to be the first man to tow a platypus, behind a penny-farthing, around the town of Cottesloe in Australia. I'm sad to have to report that someone has beaten me to it.

Asterix on a Mountain

Street View has captured Asterix sitting on a mountain in France (although it is probably a menhir and not a mountain). You probably won't be surprised to hear that this Street View image comes from an Asterix theme park, Parc Asterix, just north of Paris.

Fore - Lookout It's the Ultimate Golf Guide

2012-02-02T10:47:00.004-05:00

The Golf Guide is a Google Map showing the location of thousands of golf courses throughout the world.

Many of the golf courses displayed on the map include Google Earth tours. The green map markers show which courses have the Google Earth tours available. When you click on a green marker an information window will open displaying the course with the Google Earth browser plugin.

The Google Earth tours take you on a 3d flyover of the course. You can interrupt the tour at any time and use the links to fly to a particular hole. The tour also informs the user of the par and length of each hole.

Skyrim Appears on Google Maps

2012-02-02T07:19:00.003-05:00

You find amongst your possessions an ancient chart of Skyrim extracted from the Elder Scrolls. Now you will never get lost in your journeys through the nine provinces of Tamriel.

Your Skyrim Map includes a magical key that will guide you on your journey. Whether you search for a Dragonlair or an Imperial Camp the map will determine your adventure and light up your true path.

Legend tells that the map was created when the magical Fusion Tables were forged in the fires of the Google Maps API. This legend was imparted to me by the High Elves of Street View Funny.

Using GWT with the Google Maps API V3

2012-02-01T11:59:00.004-05:00

The Google Web Toolkit is an open source set of tools that allows web developers to create and maintain complex JavaScript front-end applications in Java. Unfortunately the current GWT bindings are only compatible with the Google Maps v2 API and are not yet compatible with v3 of the API.

Luckily Brandon Donnelson has decided to build the GWT bindings for the Maps API V3. If you want to see what you can build with the bindings wrapper you can jump straight to the demo page. The examples provided include Google Maps with the Elevation Requests, Directions, Street View, Custom Street View, Custom Controls, the Drawing Libray and more.

If you want to see Donnelson's GWT bindings in the wild then visit the impressive Cycling the Alps website, which has been completely rebuilt using the bindings.

Interactive Bus Stops on Google Maps

2012-02-01T08:17:00.003-05:00

Bus-Tops is a very exciting interactive art project launching in London today. Thirty red and black LED screens have been installed on the roofs of bus shelters around London. Absolutely anyone in the world can create artwork and hopefully get a chance to see their work displayed on one of the screens.

If you want to view the submitted artwork then you will need the Bus-Tops Screen Locations Map. It allows Londoner's to find their nearest Bus-Tops screen. The map also uses the Google Maps Styled Maps feature to give the map an appropriate red and blank design.

Mapping the Bells of the World

2012-02-01T07:31:00.004-05:00

The Guild of Carillonneurs Map is a map of carillons in North America. A carillon consists of a series of at least 23 tuned bells which can be played from a keyboard.

The map shows the location of 179 traditional carillons throughout North America. The map also includes a link to view another Google Map showing carillons throughout the world. The Guild has also created a map for tower bells of all types.

Finally TowerBells.org has a very similar map showing the locations of tubular bells of all types around the world.

Map of the Florida Primary Results

2012-01-31T19:16:00.004-05:00

The Google Elections hub is now beginning to show the results of the Florida Primary (with Romney looking to have taken an early lead). The Google Map automatically updates as results around the state are announced.

Each county on the map will become shaded, as the votes come in, to show which candidate won the most votes. If you mouse-over the highlighted counties it is possible to view the votes cast for each candidate in the county.

Timelines, Tweening & Temporal Heat Maps

2012-01-31T07:15:00.005-05:00

Timemap is a JavaScript library to help add a SIMILE time-line to an online map, including Google Maps. The library includes a number of sample maps that show how you can use the SIMILE time-line with Google Maps. Two of the examples I haven't seen before and both maps are impressive in their own right.

The Temporal Heatmap from a Google Spreadsheet example is a map with markers that are sized on the map according to a data point in the spreadsheet. It is a great template for showing expanding and shrinking data points over time. In the example map the markers show cumulative deaths from asbestosis and silicosis in Texas over time.

The other example is On-the-fly Polygon Tweening. This map tweens a polygon so it grows and shrinks in conjunction with the time-line control. Polygon tweening could be used for any number of map based visualisations, for example to show a changing city boundary other time.

Google Maps the Corporate World

2012-01-31T05:00:00.007-05:00

Deutsche Telekom's Worldwide Operations Map is a very nicely designed corporate map. It uses the Google Maps API Styled Maps feature to create a map that complements the colors of the company's corporate style and website design.

The map shows the scope of Deutsche Telekom's worldwide operations and lists the names of its companies operating in each country. The map can be searched by location and the information windows provide links to click-through to the country profile pages on the company's website.

Updates Announced for UK Crime Map

2012-01-30T14:33:00.004-05:00

The UK government's official crime map Police.uk, which uses Google Maps to map UK crime, has been visited over 450 million times and is by far and away the most popular UK government website.

Today the UK government announced that from tomorrow users of the maps will be able to get crime statistics for more locations. Currently users can search the map by postcode or by address and get results based on "an anonymous point on or near the road where they (the crimes) occurred."

As of tomorrow users will be able to search for crimes that have taken place at specific public locations, such as individual railway stations, shopping centres, airports, hospitals, parks and nightclubs etc.

Despite its popularity the map has not been free of criticism. The knowwhere blog posted a good round-up of some of the criticism the website faced in the week of its original release.

The new mapping of public spaces is also proving controversial. For example there are worries that nightclub owners may become much less likely to liaise with local police forces over criminal activity within their establishments if the result is that the clubs are then shown as criminal hotspots on the map.

Today the UK government also announced that from May users of the crime map will be able to see what happened after a crime was committed, what action was taken by the police and whether anyone was eventually convicted for the crime.

Chilean Executions Mapped

2012-01-30T07:45:00.003-05:00

Ejecuciones en Chile entre septiembre y diciembre de 1973 is a powerful and poignant animated map visualisation of people executed by the Chilean military dictatorship between September 11 and December 31, 1973. The map animates through a time-line of the executions geo-locating those murdered by place of death or where the body was discovered.

As well as providing an animated time-line of the executions the map can be browsed by location, date of death, cause of death and by the name of individual victims of the Chilean dictatorship.

The data for the map comes from Servicio Médico Legal.

Novel Mapping Projects - Chapter One

2012-01-30T05:13:00.003-05:00

Many authors seem to have a special relationship with particular places. Some cities seem to have become almost inextricably linked with certain author's bodies of work, whether it be Charles Dickens' London or James Joyce's Dublin.

Novels: On Location is a good place to start if you want to find a book set in a specific location. In fact this Google Map acts a great guide for travellers keen to read a novel set in the places visited.

Using the map you can search for a location and find novels that are set there. For example, if you are lucky enough to be able to visit St Petersburg (or you just want to read something set there) you can consult Novels: On Location which recommends you read Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment.

Also See

Joyce Walks - maps of walks with connections to Joyce's Ulysses
Ballard Geocoded - a Google Map of the locations in the works of JG Ballard
The Patrick O'Brian Mapping Project - a map of locations in the works of Patrick O'Brian, author of the popular Master and Commander
Londonist Sherlock Holmes Map - mapping the locations in Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels
Litmap - locations in The Rings of Saturn: An English Pilgrimage by W.G. Sebald
Poetry Atlas - Google Map of geo-tagged poems
Google Lit Trips - Many, many literary journeys mapped

Google Maps Based Stories

The 21 Steps - by Charles Cumming is "an adrenaline-fuelled adventure written and designed for Google Maps"
Senghor on the Rocks - a German language novel with Google Maps