Google Maps Mania

The Forgotten Poland on Google Maps

2012-01-27T07:56:00.005-05:00

Forgotten.pl is a Polish website dedicated to abandoned buildings, rail-roads, underground tunnels, castles, military sites and any other locations that have long been neglected.

The site has a huge database of user submitted abandoned locations. If you are keen to explore the abandoned Poland it is probably best to explore the site using the category filter. Each category (buildings, military, castles etc) has its own Google Map that allows users to search for individual entries by location.

Gerrymandering Shown with Google Maps

2012-01-27T04:03:00.005-05:00

The New York World has produced an excellent Google Maps based visualisation of the Proposed New York Senate Districts.

This visualisation of the proposed rezoning works brilliantly in map form, not only because of the obvious geographic nature of creating new senate districts but because the map perfectly illustrates the disparity in the population sizes between upstate and downstate proposed districts.

The large red area to the north on the map shows that these proposed districts will each have a smaller population than the blue districts to the south of the map in New York City. In effect New York City voters will count for less than their up-state neighbors.

As The New York World states this "regional discrepancy is crucial to Republicans' efforts to preserve their narrow control of the Senate".

Ontario Election Results on Google Maps

2012-01-26T11:35:00.003-05:00

Global News has created a series of Google Maps to visualise the 2011 Ontario election results.

Ontario Election Maps shows the results of 24,094 polls in six maps: plurality winner by poll, voter turnout and the four parties' results looked at in isolation. Each map shows a heat map of the results and you can click on individual electoral wards to view the results at that location.

The map can be searched by address or postal codes. A number of links, above the map, will take you to 14 regional views.

MetroCard Use Visualised on Google Maps

2012-01-26T09:33:00.005-05:00

The Wall Street Journal created this great data visualisation to show how New Yorkers are using different kinds of MetroCards on the city's public transit network.

Examining MetroCard Usage uses the Google Maps API to present how the 30-Day Unlimited, Pay Per-Ride and Senior Discount MetroCards are used throughout NYC. Heat maps are created for each card type and useful information windows point out specific locations and usage of the cards that the WSJ finds interesting.

The visualisation also presents data taken after the 12/30/2010 fare increases to examine how usage of the different MetroCards may have changed after the fare rises.

An Opacity Control Slider for Google Maps

2012-01-26T04:03:00.003-05:00

Gavin Harris has released the code for an Opacity Control for Google Maps. The control is a slider button that can be used to adjust the opacity of map overlays used with the Google Maps API v3.

The slider control can be seen in action on NZ Topo Map, where it is used to control the transparency of topographic map tiles. The code is available for download and use by Google Maps API v3 developers under a Creative Commons Licence.

Australian Rain Radars on Google Maps

2012-01-25T15:10:00.002-05:00

BOMMap is an Australian weather map that allows users to view animations of the latest radar images from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

The initial view of BOMMap shows where it is currently raining in Australia and therefore where radar animations are also currently available to view on the map. Users just need to select one of the displayed map markers to view the latest radar animation from that location.

The creator of BOMMap has also set up a subReddit where users can submit suggestions and possible improvements to the map.

Public Alert Warnings Now on Google Maps

2012-01-25T10:41:00.003-05:00

Google has just launched Google Public Alerts, a Google Maps based website to bring you information about relevant emergency alerts in your area.

The map shows weather alerts, public safety warnings, and earthquake alerts from US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather Service, and the US Geological Survey (USGS). For example, the map is showing right now flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings at various locations in Texas and high wind warnings for South-western California.

There is some integration with the main Google Maps site as well, although you do have to search for the alerts. For example, at the time of writing, if you search for 'flash flood Texas' in Google Maps an alert appears in the Google Maps sidebar. You can then click on the alert to get further details.

I actually think Public Alerts deserves more prominence on Google Maps. I'd like to see it made available as a layer (it could sit very nicely just under the Weather layer option in the Google Maps drop-down menu).

Via: Google LatLong

Twitter Islands Appear on Google Maps

2012-01-25T07:51:00.002-05:00

Over the last few years the Centre of Advanced Spatial Analysis at UCL has created some interesting visualisations of data from Twitter. For example, CASA's, Tweet-o-Metre shows the current level of Twitter activity in a number of major cities around the world.

CASA's Interactive Tweetography Maps uses the Google Maps API to present a number of topographical maps of New York, London, Paris and Munich based on where in the cities Twitter users are most active. The contours on the maps show the density of tweets, with mountains showing the most active locations on Twitter.

Digital Urban has now taken the data from the London Tweetography Map and visualised it with the 3d game engine Lumion. They say they are still in the early stages of development but, I think you will agree, the results are already pretty amazing.

Street View Launched in South Korea

2012-01-24T20:39:00.003-05:00

Myeongdong Cathedral, Seoul

Google might not have maps in North Korea but it does now have Street View in South Korea.

Google Maps today introduced Street View for South Korea's two largest cities Seoul and Busan.

Via: Google LatLong

New 45° imagery for 24 cities

2012-01-24T10:58:00.003-05:00

Augusta Raurica, Basle, Switzerland

Google has added new aerial (Bird's Eye) imagery to Google Maps for 17 U.S. and 7 international locations.

You can check-out my picks of some of the best aerial views on Google Maps in this Aerial View Slideshow.

The cities with the new imagery are:

US:
Boise/Caldwell, ID; Buffalo, NY; Chattanooga, TN; Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; Greenville, SC; Houston/Pasadena, TX; Kansas City/Gladstone, MS; Knoxville/Louisville, TN; Memphis/Bartlett, TN; Mobile, AL; Nashville, TN; Pensacola, FL; Racine, WI; Santa Monica, CA; Sarasota/Englewood, FL; Stockton, CA

Europe:
Baiona, Spain; Basel, Switzerland; Friedberg, Germany; Mannheim, Germany; Santander, Spain; Ulm, Germany

South America:
Porto Alegre, Brazil

Via: Google LatLong

CNN iReports on Google Maps

2012-01-24T06:28:00.003-05:00

CNN iReport is a portal for individuals to tell their own news stories. iReport includes many tools to help contributors tell their stories and discuss the issues that interest them.

The CNN iReport Map is a Google Map showing the location of user contributed stories. As well as browsing the stories by location via the map the submitted stories can be searched by 'most viewed', 'most commented' and 'most shared'.

If you click on a story's marker on the map you can read a brief introduction and, if the story interests you, click through to read the complete submitted story.

South West England's Off Road Cycle Map

2012-01-24T03:30:00.000-05:00

The lack of cycle paths on Google Maps is still a problem in many parts of the world. If you live in the south west of England though you can use The South West Adventure Cycle Map.

The map includes off road cycle trails in England’s south west region, including paths in Exmoor and Dartmouth National Park and in the Blackdown Hills. The trails are colour coded to show their severity.

To get more details about a trail you can click on it's track on the map and get information on it's length, difficulty and type of terrain. You can even click on points along a trail to get an elevation chart.

Google Hotel Finder Isochrones Experiment

2012-01-23T11:39:00.001-05:00

Google Hotel Finder is experimenting with an isochrone layer to search for hotels within a defined travelling time of a location. For example, this search with Google Hotel Finder shows all the hotels within a 30 minute public transit travelling time from the 2012 London Olympics Park.

The Hotel Finder experiment allows users to adjust the travelling time, switch between public transit or walking times, and refine the results shown by price range, star rating and date.

Via: Ed Parsons

An Edmonton Property Tax Assessment Map

2012-01-23T09:30:00.001-05:00

The Edmonton Property Tax Assessment Map is a great example of using Google Fusions Tables with Google Maps.

The Edmonton Journal created the map to visualise Edmonton's 2012 property assessments. The map allows readers to compare the average assessment of single-family homes by neighbourhood in 2012 and 2011; as well as the percent change from 2010 to 2011, 2011 to 2012 and during the five years from 2007 to 2012.

The map include selectable layers, a dynamic legend (that updates automatically when different layers are selected) and even includes the Edmonton Journal masthead.

If you want to know how to create a dynamic legend with Fusion Tables and Google Maps then you should dive into the code in this Fusion Tables API Example Map.

Share Your Kisses with Google Maps

2012-01-23T07:20:00.004-05:00

The Toronto Kiss Map wants to know about your kisses. Whether it's a first kiss, a last kiss, a hot and heavy kiss or just a peck on the check of Aunty Maureen then Toronto Kiss wants to know all about it.

The Toronto Kiss Map is a user contributed map of kisses that took place in Toronto. The map comes from Firefly Creative Writing, so contributors are also encouraged to the tell the story behind their kiss.

To add your own kiss to the map you just need to click on the map to show the location where the tongue fencing took place. You can then share your story about the kiss in 500 characters or less.

South Carolina Primary Results Mapped

2012-01-22T13:32:00.003-05:00

The Google Elections hub is now featuring a Google Map of the South Carolina Primary Results. The map shows the number of votes cast for each of the Republican candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in each of the South Carolina counties.

Each county on the map is shaded to show which candidate won overall in the area. If you mouse-over a county it is possible to view the votes cast for each candidate.

Google Maps of the Week

2012-01-22T07:53:00.002-05:00

The German courts recently decided that Berlin Airport can operate flights between 5 am and midnight. Residents who live close to the airport say that this gives them just a 5 hour window in which it is possible to sleep.

German newspaper Taz this week created a very useful visualisation of air pollution caused by aircraft at Berlin Airport. Fluglärm-Karte BBI-Airport Berlin shows the number of decibels along the flight paths to and from the airport and in the immediate vicinity.

Google Maps that show the current weather and short-term forecasts are always useful. Combine the weather with real-time geo-tagged Tweets about the weather and you get a very interesting application.

Wettervolke is a nice Google Maps based application to view the current weather and local Twitter messages about the weather.

The current weather conditions are displayed on a Google Map using the standard weather map symbols. The current temperature is also displayed directly on the map. As well as the current weather conditions it is possible to view a forecast for the rest of the day and for tomorrow's weather.

WorldMap is a new open source mapping platform from Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis. One feature that makes WorldMap very useful is the thousands of data layers that the service provides. Users of WorldMap can also easily import and display their own data layers on a map.

WorldMap has already created over 700 mapping layers and users have created more than 500 maps. Therefore, as well as creating their own maps, users can search and view maps from the hundreds of maps already created.

Introducing the WorldMap

2012-01-21T07:27:00.003-05:00

WorldMap is a new open source mapping platform from Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis.

Users of WorldMap can quickly create a map from their own data layers or from data layers already added to the WorldMap. Viewers of created maps can control the data layers seen on the map from a sidebar and can choose to view the data on top of Google Maps or OpenStreetMap map tiles.

WorldMap has already created over 700 mapping layers and users have created more than 500 maps. Therefore, as well as creating their own maps, users can search and view maps from the hundreds of maps already created.

Highlighted Search Results in Google Maps

2012-01-20T10:19:00.003-05:00

If you search for a location in Google Maps you now see the area highlighted on the map. If you zoom out a little Google Maps shows the area shaded in pink with a dotted boundary. When you zoom in on the map you should just see a dotted boundary line around the searched for area.

Another new addition to Google Maps is train information in the UK. Google has worked with thetrainline.com to allow UK users to search for train journeys across the country with information from more than than 2,500 rail stations and 170,000 routes nationwide.

To get train information in the UK you just need to enter your staring point and destination in 'Directions' and select the public transit icon.

Friday Fun with Google Maps

2012-01-20T05:19:00.005-05:00

Don't Lose Your Marbles

By now you must have heard that there is a Google Maps based game coming to Google+ next month. If you can't wait until February then you could instead create your own analogue version of the game.

Pegman's Day

This advert for Wired magazine seems to show what Pegman gets up to after a busy day of guiding the world around on Street View.

Athen's Public Transit Simulation

The developer behind the great Athens Public Transit Planner has created this amazing map simulation of a day in the life of the Athens Public Transport system.

Artistic Google

Artistic Google is a Google+ account that encourages its followers to create artistic images from Google Maps Street View. Every Monday a new location is announced and the account's followers then find an interesting Street View picture and create something a bit more artistic from the image using photo editing software.

Adopt a Fire Hydrant on Google Maps

2012-01-19T08:39:00.004-05:00

Here's a cool idea to ensure that fire hydrants remain accessible even when there is heavy snow.

Adopt-a-Hydrant lets anyone in Boston sign up to volunteer to clear a specific fire hydrant in the city when there is heavy snowfall. To adopt a fire hydrant users just need to click on its map marker and complete a short form.

On the usability front it is a bit annoying that the zoom control has been removed and that scroll-wheel zooming is also disabled on the map.

Hat-tip: Street View Funny

German Sound Pollution on Google Maps

2012-01-19T04:47:00.006-05:00

Clean Up America with Google Maps

2012-01-18T12:04:00.004-05:00

Pick Up America is travelling coast-to-coast across America picking up litter. Their mission is to pick up trash across the country and, in the process, educate, and encourage a transition toward zero waste.

The Pick Up America homepage features a prominent Google Map showing the route of the clean-up tour, upcoming events, and links to blog posts about events already completed. The trek began in March 2010 and plans to finish in November.

This year in the spring the tour will be trekking the Utah and Nevada Desert, hiking over the Colorado Rockies in the summer and walking onward to the California coast in the fall.

SOPA Tweets on Google Maps

2012-01-18T09:19:00.003-05:00

Understandably one of the top Twitter trends today is SOPA. A lot of major websites around the world, including Wikipedia and Google, are today showing their opposition to the proposed US anti-piracy laws of SOPA and PIPA.

Mibazaar has created the #SOPA Tweets Map to show in real-time the latest Twitter messages that include the hashtag '#SOPA'. The map includes the option to watch either east coast or west coast Tweets appear on the map.

Maps of SOPA & PIPA Supporting Senators

2012-01-18T07:02:00.004-05:00

Spatial Situation has created two maps to show congressional support (and opposition) for H.R. 3261 (SOPA) and S. 968 (PIPA).

The Map of Congressional Support for PIPA shows which senators are known to support and which senators oppose PIPA. The Map of Congressional Support for SOPA shows known congressional supporters and opponents of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

Both maps also include a pop-up form to contact your congressman about the two acts.