15 Awesome interactive maps from the New York Times
Friday, March 12, 2010
There's a reason why many online news sites have created and featured interactive maps: a map is like a blank canvas on which the artist, or journalist in this case, can lay out a story. The New York Times is one such newsroom using online and interactive maps to tell stories. Even though each of the maps below feature some sort of location, each of the stories they tell is wildly different.
While it's true that The Times has a wealth of resources and staff that many other newsrooms to do not have, these maps transcend technology and this form of interactive storytelling can be replicated by any newsroom.
The Times examines the most popular Netflix rentals in major cities across the U.S.
A visual database of the 3,700 homicides that occurred in New York City between 2003 and 2009.
Photos and an interactive map are combined to create an interactive slideshow of various food-related hot spots in the French city.
A combination bubble chart/map that shows both the location where foreign-born workers come from and the industries they occupy.
What U.S. counties are using the most food stamps? This detailed interactive map breaks down the numbers county by county.
A dynamic map of the post-earthquake devastation of Haiti that combines satellite imagery and interactivity to tell the story of the nation.
The travels of "Catcher in the Rye" protagonist Holden Caulfield are linked to real New York City locations.
Reported swine flu cases from around the world are mapped with an accompanying map for North America.
Another map of U.S. counties, this time used to show which areas are most affected by the current economic recession.
The extent of the damage caused by recent wildfires in California is communicated visually.
What do Americans eat on Thanksgiving? According to this interactive heat map, cranberry sauce is popular in western states and sweet potato pie is popular in the South.
The Times invites readers to share their travel plans by adding the name of the location and a written recommendation to other readers.
Cars manufactured in the U.S. are featured on this map. The project also includes photos and locations of where individual models are produced.
A beautiful animated and interactive map of the locations where the 2010 Winter Olympic Games took place.
New York City has some of the best pizza in the world. The best pizza places in the city are mapped along with prices, hours of operation, photos and directions.
Also on 10,000 Words
• 10 Inspirational New York Times multimedia and interactive features
• Where to find the best online interactive maps
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
While it's true that The Times has a wealth of resources and staff that many other newsrooms to do not have, these maps transcend technology and this form of interactive storytelling can be replicated by any newsroom.
1. A Peek Into Netflix Queues
The Times examines the most popular Netflix rentals in major cities across the U.S.
2. New York City Homicide Map
A visual database of the 3,700 homicides that occurred in New York City between 2003 and 2009.
3. A 200-Year-Old Tour of Gastronomic Paris
Photos and an interactive map are combined to create an interactive slideshow of various food-related hot spots in the French city.
4. Immigration and Jobs: Where U.S. Workers Come From
A combination bubble chart/map that shows both the location where foreign-born workers come from and the industries they occupy.
5. Food Stamp Usage Across the Country
What U.S. counties are using the most food stamps? This detailed interactive map breaks down the numbers county by county.
6. The Destruction in Port-au-Prince
A dynamic map of the post-earthquake devastation of Haiti that combines satellite imagery and interactivity to tell the story of the nation.
7. Walking in Holden's Footsteps
The travels of "Catcher in the Rye" protagonist Holden Caulfield are linked to real New York City locations.
8. Tracking Swine Flu Cases Worldwide
Reported swine flu cases from around the world are mapped with an accompanying map for North America.
9. Geography of a Recession
Another map of U.S. counties, this time used to show which areas are most affected by the current economic recession.
10. Southern California Wildfires
The extent of the damage caused by recent wildfires in California is communicated visually.
11. What's Cooking on Thanksgiving
What do Americans eat on Thanksgiving? According to this interactive heat map, cranberry sauce is popular in western states and sweet potato pie is popular in the South.
12. Tell Us the Best Places to Go in 2010
The Times invites readers to share their travel plans by adding the name of the location and a written recommendation to other readers.
13. Born in the U.S.A.
Cars manufactured in the U.S. are featured on this map. The project also includes photos and locations of where individual models are produced.
14. Vancouver's Olympic Venues
A beautiful animated and interactive map of the locations where the 2010 Winter Olympic Games took place.
15. Where the Pies Are
New York City has some of the best pizza in the world. The best pizza places in the city are mapped along with prices, hours of operation, photos and directions.
Also on 10,000 Words
• 10 Inspirational New York Times multimedia and interactive features
• Where to find the best online interactive maps
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
Labels: maps
Spice up food journalism with multimedia and interactivity
Monday, February 22, 2010
As newspapers and magazines shrink and the resources of television and radio stations dwindle, food journalism is often the first section to get the boot. The web, however, presents a unique opportunity to explore food, recipes, and cooking in new and captivating ways.
For example, this past Thanksgiving, The New York Times served up one of its signature interactive projects that visualized what people are eating. The map illustrates what classic holiday dishes are most popular in various sections of the U.S. The Times Online tracked what Britain eats in an interactive infographic that measures the popularity of certain foods over time.
To track the location of local farmers markets, The Washington Post created an interactive online map that readers can use to track local food and produce. If you prefer your vegetables on a burger or burrito, you can also use fastfoodmap.com — an interactive map of the locations of McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and more — to satisfy your food cravings.
CHOW.com, a site for recipes and other food-related resources, also has a mix of food-related video that teach users to make food and other stuff. In just a few minutes, you can learn to how to fold a wonton, how to prevent an avocado from browning, and how to clean a cast iron pan.
Food journalism and especially recipe guides are ripe for slideshows. BBC News paired photos and audio to explore the wild, yet edible foods found in the British countryside. The Times-Picayune whipped up "12 Dishes Under $12" a video guide to great dishes from local restaurants. DNAinfo.com, the newly launched hyperlocal site covering the NYC borough of Manhattan, recently presented an interactive slideshow of dishes available during the city's restaurant week.
Food journalism, as with all news subjects, can be invigorated with a little bit of multimedia and a lot of creativity, which in the end makes the topic more interesting for readers and viewers.
Also on 10,000 Words
• 5 Creative uses of Flash and interactive storytelling
• Exploring the human body with Flash and video
• 10 Inspirational New York Times multimedia and interactive features
For example, this past Thanksgiving, The New York Times served up one of its signature interactive projects that visualized what people are eating. The map illustrates what classic holiday dishes are most popular in various sections of the U.S. The Times Online tracked what Britain eats in an interactive infographic that measures the popularity of certain foods over time.
To track the location of local farmers markets, The Washington Post created an interactive online map that readers can use to track local food and produce. If you prefer your vegetables on a burger or burrito, you can also use fastfoodmap.com — an interactive map of the locations of McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and more — to satisfy your food cravings.
CHOW.com, a site for recipes and other food-related resources, also has a mix of food-related video that teach users to make food and other stuff. In just a few minutes, you can learn to how to fold a wonton, how to prevent an avocado from browning, and how to clean a cast iron pan.
Food journalism and especially recipe guides are ripe for slideshows. BBC News paired photos and audio to explore the wild, yet edible foods found in the British countryside. The Times-Picayune whipped up "12 Dishes Under $12" a video guide to great dishes from local restaurants. DNAinfo.com, the newly launched hyperlocal site covering the NYC borough of Manhattan, recently presented an interactive slideshow of dishes available during the city's restaurant week.
Food journalism, as with all news subjects, can be invigorated with a little bit of multimedia and a lot of creativity, which in the end makes the topic more interesting for readers and viewers.
Also on 10,000 Words
• 5 Creative uses of Flash and interactive storytelling
• Exploring the human body with Flash and video
• 10 Inspirational New York Times multimedia and interactive features
How to use Flickr to get creative with your photos
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Flickr, the photo sharing site and social network, is probably right behind Wikipedia on the list of social media tools journalists and newsrooms avoid. Journalists have every reason to be wary of uplaoading content to Flickr — without the right controls photos uploaded to the site can be downloaded and used without permission elsewhere on the web.
But there are so many other ways to use Flickr besides uploading photos from the newsroom. Flickr is, after all, a social tool and news media can harness the power of the site to improve the news-gathering process. For starters, newsrooms can take a cue from Slate and The Consumerist and create a photo pool or group where readers can submit photos that fall into a specific category. For Slate's "Shoot the Recession" photo pool, readers and photogs were invited to submit photos that captured the economic recession. The Consumerist, a consumer affairs blog, asks readers to submit photos that capture commerce in America that are selected by editors and featured on the site.
NPR recently used Flickr to crowdsource information and asked readers to identify individuals in a series of photos from a US Senate meeting. Members of the site used Flickr's photo tagging feature to add notes to the photo about individuals in the image. Getty Images even tapped into the great talent on Flickr and partnered with Flickr photographers to sell their work under the Getty name.
If you are thinking about uploading your photos to Flickr and are also handy with geotagging, you can use iMapFlickr to create custom embeddable maps that feature geocoded photos. Like most third-party mapping tools, iMapFlickr is very easy to use and requires just a few steps to identify photos from Flickr and plot them on a map.
There are, of course, much more creative ways to use Flickr such as using the API to recreate an entire city, identify the dominant colors of a physical location, or to view the day's headlines in photos.
As the previous examples show, Flickr is more than just a tool for sharing photos. The site's many features means there are many different ways you can use the site for your own unique projects.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 30 Amazing photoblogs (and a few tips for creating one)
• Composite photography: A new twist to an old medium
• 5 Creative uses of Flash and interactive storytelling
• Creative and innovative uses of online video
• Photojournalism: Where to find the best in news photography
But there are so many other ways to use Flickr besides uploading photos from the newsroom. Flickr is, after all, a social tool and news media can harness the power of the site to improve the news-gathering process. For starters, newsrooms can take a cue from Slate and The Consumerist and create a photo pool or group where readers can submit photos that fall into a specific category. For Slate's "Shoot the Recession" photo pool, readers and photogs were invited to submit photos that captured the economic recession. The Consumerist, a consumer affairs blog, asks readers to submit photos that capture commerce in America that are selected by editors and featured on the site.
NPR recently used Flickr to crowdsource information and asked readers to identify individuals in a series of photos from a US Senate meeting. Members of the site used Flickr's photo tagging feature to add notes to the photo about individuals in the image. Getty Images even tapped into the great talent on Flickr and partnered with Flickr photographers to sell their work under the Getty name.
If you are thinking about uploading your photos to Flickr and are also handy with geotagging, you can use iMapFlickr to create custom embeddable maps that feature geocoded photos. Like most third-party mapping tools, iMapFlickr is very easy to use and requires just a few steps to identify photos from Flickr and plot them on a map.
There are, of course, much more creative ways to use Flickr such as using the API to recreate an entire city, identify the dominant colors of a physical location, or to view the day's headlines in photos.
As the previous examples show, Flickr is more than just a tool for sharing photos. The site's many features means there are many different ways you can use the site for your own unique projects.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 30 Amazing photoblogs (and a few tips for creating one)
• Composite photography: A new twist to an old medium
• 5 Creative uses of Flash and interactive storytelling
• Creative and innovative uses of online video
• Photojournalism: Where to find the best in news photography
5 Cool and unexpected uses of Google Street View
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Google Street View, a collection of 360° panoramic maps that cover hundreds of cities around the world, have transformed online maps from flat graphics to interactive experiences. Like other web technologies, web developers have taken advantage of the open platform to add and shape the maps into new and clever uses, some of which are featured below.
Showstreet, an interactive guide to the shops of New Zealand, combines both street-level photography with annotations that when clicked, provide the name of the store and other information such as a brief description, address, and website.
Instead of giving your friends text directions to a particular location and letting them explore Google Street View for themselves, you can now use Simple Guide Tool to show them exactly where you want them to go. Using the tool is easy: just select a location on the map and invite your friend to a live chat room where you can guide them to their destination.
Did you know you can also use Street View to explore SeaWorld and Legoland, two amusement parks in San Diego, California?
The following videos were created by capturing screenshots of various locations in Street View and placing them in sequence to create the appearance of motion. The process is painstaking, but the results are very cool.
Banshee Beat
Google Street View Guys
Editors, "In This Light and on This Evening"
It's not quite clear what CNA, a network of language schools, is promoting — only that the interactive map they've created based on Street View technology is mesmerizing. The site overlays an image of a tourist holding a list of New York city landmarks on a Street View map. When any of the locations are clicked, the map changes to that location within Street View.
Case in point: 25 Google Street View prostitutes
Creating interactive experiences using Google Street View takes some experience with HTML and JavaScript and a little bit of ingenuity. You can find the official guide to the Google Maps API here and an easy to read guide to its capabilities here.
Hat tip to Google Maps Mania for many of the links. Check out the site for more innovative map mashups.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 5 Ways to take your map mashups to the next level
• Where to find the best online interactive maps
• 7 Unique and innovative maps
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
1. Provide an interactive guide to your neighborhood
Showstreet, an interactive guide to the shops of New Zealand, combines both street-level photography with annotations that when clicked, provide the name of the store and other information such as a brief description, address, and website.
Instead of giving your friends text directions to a particular location and letting them explore Google Street View for themselves, you can now use Simple Guide Tool to show them exactly where you want them to go. Using the tool is easy: just select a location on the map and invite your friend to a live chat room where you can guide them to their destination.
Did you know you can also use Street View to explore SeaWorld and Legoland, two amusement parks in San Diego, California?
2. Combine the images into a cool video
The following videos were created by capturing screenshots of various locations in Street View and placing them in sequence to create the appearance of motion. The process is painstaking, but the results are very cool.
Banshee Beat
Google Street View Guys
Editors, "In This Light and on This Evening"
3. Add your own design
It's not quite clear what CNA, a network of language schools, is promoting — only that the interactive map they've created based on Street View technology is mesmerizing. The site overlays an image of a tourist holding a list of New York city landmarks on a Street View map. When any of the locations are clicked, the map changes to that location within Street View.
4. Spot local crimes
Case in point: 25 Google Street View prostitutes
Creating interactive experiences using Google Street View takes some experience with HTML and JavaScript and a little bit of ingenuity. You can find the official guide to the Google Maps API here and an easy to read guide to its capabilities here.
Hat tip to Google Maps Mania for many of the links. Check out the site for more innovative map mashups.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 5 Ways to take your map mashups to the next level
• Where to find the best online interactive maps
• 7 Unique and innovative maps
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
Labels: maps
10 Incredible interactive audio experiences
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Audio isn't just for podcasts and slideshows. The following sites are using audio in new and creative ways to make create unique interactive experiences.
The BBC map is indicative of the latest trend in audio: collecting user-generated audio and displaying it on a map. For this ambitious project, visitors are invited to upload sounds from all over the world, which anyone can listen to by navigating around the interactive map. This means you can hear the purr of a cheetah in South Africa or listen to a wrestling match in Mongolia without ever leaving your couch.
Tracks on a Map takes the user-generated audio concept in a different direction and lets users from all over the world upload music to the site, which allows the viewer to hear great music and how it differs from country to country.
The aforementioned maps are powered by complex databases, but the Local Music Map shows that audio and maps don't have to be grand productions to be good. The map mashup catalogs the music scene of the Lake Michigan area and provides photos and links to some of the area's local artists, venues and other music-related landmarks.
This series of maps takes audio to a new and innovative level by taking the viewer or an audio tour of various locales. As the audio plays, the adjacent dynamic map moves to indicate where the audio was recorded. The technology is a combination of Google Maps, Quicktime and Javascript and is reminiscent of Vidmap which combines maps and video in the same way.
Indie rock band Cold War Kids used the web to create an interactive music video where fans can toggle on and off each member of the band as they play the song "I've Seen Enough." The effect is sort of like a mixing board where the viewer can listen to one or all of the band members play at the same time.
The Flash-animated band is a lot like the Cold War Kids experience, only with more instruments and a groovy samba beat. Users can again toggle between the different band members and, if neither French or Spanish is your first language, learn a few bits of the languages as well.
This virtual drum set is proof that interactive audio experiences don't have to be all fun and games. If you want to learn the basics of how to play the drums but aren't yet willing to drop the cash on a whole set, you can use this Flash-based interactive to learn the various parts and sounds of a drum set.
If electronic music is more your thing, The Daft Punk Console allows users to recreate and remix the Daft Punk hits "Technologic" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (famously sampled by Kanye West) using an interactive interface.
This online collection of YouTube videos combines both user-generated content, an interactive audio experience and just plain fun into one cool project. A variety of musicians recorded themselves playing individual instruments and uploaded the video to YouTube to create one big collaborative song. You can play any combination of the embedded videos to create a unique harmony that sounds pretty great no matter which video you choose.
This last project is proof that news infographics don't have to be boring. This series of charts from lainformacion.com takes what would otherwise be another sad bar chart about the failing economy and turns it into a fun interactive, musical experience.
Also on 10,000 Words
• How to create, edit and embed audio for free
• 9 Tips for recording audio for the web
• 5 Creative uses of Flash and interactive storytelling
• A is for Audio: The ABCs of Multimedia
BBC: Save Our Sounds
The BBC map is indicative of the latest trend in audio: collecting user-generated audio and displaying it on a map. For this ambitious project, visitors are invited to upload sounds from all over the world, which anyone can listen to by navigating around the interactive map. This means you can hear the purr of a cheetah in South Africa or listen to a wrestling match in Mongolia without ever leaving your couch.
Tracks on a Map
Tracks on a Map takes the user-generated audio concept in a different direction and lets users from all over the world upload music to the site, which allows the viewer to hear great music and how it differs from country to country.
Vocalo.org Local Music Map
The aforementioned maps are powered by complex databases, but the Local Music Map shows that audio and maps don't have to be grand productions to be good. The map mashup catalogs the music scene of the Lake Michigan area and provides photos and links to some of the area's local artists, venues and other music-related landmarks.
Soundtrack
This series of maps takes audio to a new and innovative level by taking the viewer or an audio tour of various locales. As the audio plays, the adjacent dynamic map moves to indicate where the audio was recorded. The technology is a combination of Google Maps, Quicktime and Javascript and is reminiscent of Vidmap which combines maps and video in the same way.
Cold War Kids: I've Seen Enough
Indie rock band Cold War Kids used the web to create an interactive music video where fans can toggle on and off each member of the band as they play the song "I've Seen Enough." The effect is sort of like a mixing board where the viewer can listen to one or all of the band members play at the same time.
Interactive Band
The Flash-animated band is a lot like the Cold War Kids experience, only with more instruments and a groovy samba beat. Users can again toggle between the different band members and, if neither French or Spanish is your first language, learn a few bits of the languages as well.
Buckle Drum Set
This virtual drum set is proof that interactive audio experiences don't have to be all fun and games. If you want to learn the basics of how to play the drums but aren't yet willing to drop the cash on a whole set, you can use this Flash-based interactive to learn the various parts and sounds of a drum set.
dothedaft.com
If electronic music is more your thing, The Daft Punk Console allows users to recreate and remix the Daft Punk hits "Technologic" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (famously sampled by Kanye West) using an interactive interface.
in Bb 2.0
This online collection of YouTube videos combines both user-generated content, an interactive audio experience and just plain fun into one cool project. A variety of musicians recorded themselves playing individual instruments and uploaded the video to YouTube to create one big collaborative song. You can play any combination of the embedded videos to create a unique harmony that sounds pretty great no matter which video you choose.
Economía musical
This last project is proof that news infographics don't have to be boring. This series of charts from lainformacion.com takes what would otherwise be another sad bar chart about the failing economy and turns it into a fun interactive, musical experience.
Also on 10,000 Words
• How to create, edit and embed audio for free
• 9 Tips for recording audio for the web
• 5 Creative uses of Flash and interactive storytelling
• A is for Audio: The ABCs of Multimedia
7 Unique and innovative maps
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Throwing a few markers on an interactive map? That's so last year. The next generation of online maps or bigger, bolder and incredibly detailed. They provide a unique service to the viewer and push the envelope of data visualization and the distribution of information.
This map created to commemorate the 2009 movie asked music fans to plot their music-related memories on an interactive map. Submissions can be browsed by artist, track or location and when individually selected, an audio clip of the mentioned song appears adjacent to the map.
This Google maps mashup plots recent 911 calls on an interactive map with color-coded markers to differentiate between active and closed calls. The map is currently available for the Seattle area only, but plans are in the works to create maps for other cities.
The FluTracker map uses clustered markers to indicate cases of swine flu around the world. Users can zoom in for incredibly detailed information on each case. Various charts that detail the daily and cumulative growth of swine flu cases appear below the map.
The latest trend in online mapping is visualizing government data on a map. This offering from Recovery.gov, an official website of the US government, indicates where money intended to stimulate the economy and create jobs is going. There are a number of custom controls and clicking any point on the interactive map gives more detailed data for the area.
We all know the global economy and job market has been in the toilet for awhile. This Flash-animated map makes that point much clearer by illustrating jobs gained and lost since 2004 with big, scary red circles.
Find out who voted for what U.S. Congressional bill using this site that plots votes or the bill's sponsors on a map. Maps are available for a long list of current and past bills.
Twitter's trending topics are a great way to find out the most discussed topics on the entire site, but Trendsmap lets anyone find the the most talked about topics from any area all over the world. Users can click on the mapped topics to view recent tweets on the subject from a particular area and a chart indicates the topics growth in popularity over time.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
• 5 Ways to take your map mashups to the next level
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
• Visual and interactive guides to the economic crisis
• 7 Innovative ways of visualizing the news
1. Away We Go
This map created to commemorate the 2009 movie asked music fans to plot their music-related memories on an interactive map. Submissions can be browsed by artist, track or location and when individually selected, an audio clip of the mentioned song appears adjacent to the map.
2. Public911.com
This Google maps mashup plots recent 911 calls on an interactive map with color-coded markers to differentiate between active and closed calls. The map is currently available for the Seattle area only, but plans are in the works to create maps for other cities.
3. FluTracker
The FluTracker map uses clustered markers to indicate cases of swine flu around the world. Users can zoom in for incredibly detailed information on each case. Various charts that detail the daily and cumulative growth of swine flu cases appear below the map.
4. Where is the Money Going?
The latest trend in online mapping is visualizing government data on a map. This offering from Recovery.gov, an official website of the US government, indicates where money intended to stimulate the economy and create jobs is going. There are a number of custom controls and clicking any point on the interactive map gives more detailed data for the area.
5. The Geography of Jobs
We all know the global economy and job market has been in the toilet for awhile. This Flash-animated map makes that point much clearer by illustrating jobs gained and lost since 2004 with big, scary red circles.
6. BillMaps
Find out who voted for what U.S. Congressional bill using this site that plots votes or the bill's sponsors on a map. Maps are available for a long list of current and past bills.
7. Trendsmap
Twitter's trending topics are a great way to find out the most discussed topics on the entire site, but Trendsmap lets anyone find the the most talked about topics from any area all over the world. Users can click on the mapped topics to view recent tweets on the subject from a particular area and a chart indicates the topics growth in popularity over time.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
• 5 Ways to take your map mashups to the next level
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
• Visual and interactive guides to the economic crisis
• 7 Innovative ways of visualizing the news
Labels: maps
5 Ways to take your map mashups to the next level
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Quick ways to create a online map mashup have already been covered here, but as online maps become more sophisticated, so are the tools used to create them. The following are free tools that have additional functionality beyond point-and-click mapping, but are still relatively easy to use.
UMapper has some unique and outstanding features beyond the ability to embed custom Flash-based maps. Map makers can create a GeoDart game in which the user is tasked with pointing to a specific location on a map or use the site to create a map wiki that anyone can edit or share. One of UMapper's more interesting features is the ability to extract geocoded locations from a block of text or web address. For example, by inputting the URL of the Washington Post's travel page, UMapper instantly created the map below of all the places mentioned on the site.
Vidmap, previously mentioned here, lets users create maps that work in tandem with online video, displaying the location that appears in the video on an adjacent dynamic map.
The process to create a map is surprisingly easy: upload a video to Vidmap or use one already hosted on YouTube and click the map to create drag and drop markers. The result is a map that has an added layer of dimensionality and visual interest.
One of the seemingly daunting tasks about creating a map mashup is plotting a large list of addresses on a map. You could save an Excel spreadsheet as a CSV file and import it into any of the online tools that accept the data format...or you could just let Batch Geocode do the work for you. Simply copy and paste your addresses into the site, make a few selections and in seconds the site will list the latitude and longitude coordinates, which can then be imported into a spreadsheet. The site even maps the addresses/coordinates for you in a linkable map.
The great thing about MapBuilder is that while the site can be used to easily create a map in minutes, it's also able to create extraordinarily complex maps that are no more difficult to create. Markers can include text, photos, video, links and HTML, which can be create using the site's a user-friendly interface. Because the finished product is exported as an HTML/CSS file, the more tech-minded can add customized markers are change the entire look and style of the map by just tweaking a few lines of code.
Several 10,000 Words maps, including "U.S. Newspapers pick the president" were built with MapBuilder.
Developers looking for even more customization and flexibility should consider CloudMade, which can be used to create simple to turn-by-turn directions to complex web and mobile applications backed by programming languages such as Java, Python and Ruby. As an added bonus, designers who are tired of the same old maps available from Google Maps and Yahoo Maps, can choose from a wide range of map designs that are easy on the eyes.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
• 8 Beautifully Designed Maps
• Explore the Earth with online maps
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
UMapper
UMapper has some unique and outstanding features beyond the ability to embed custom Flash-based maps. Map makers can create a GeoDart game in which the user is tasked with pointing to a specific location on a map or use the site to create a map wiki that anyone can edit or share. One of UMapper's more interesting features is the ability to extract geocoded locations from a block of text or web address. For example, by inputting the URL of the Washington Post's travel page, UMapper instantly created the map below of all the places mentioned on the site.
Vidmap
Vidmap, previously mentioned here, lets users create maps that work in tandem with online video, displaying the location that appears in the video on an adjacent dynamic map.
The process to create a map is surprisingly easy: upload a video to Vidmap or use one already hosted on YouTube and click the map to create drag and drop markers. The result is a map that has an added layer of dimensionality and visual interest.
Batch Geocode
One of the seemingly daunting tasks about creating a map mashup is plotting a large list of addresses on a map. You could save an Excel spreadsheet as a CSV file and import it into any of the online tools that accept the data format...or you could just let Batch Geocode do the work for you. Simply copy and paste your addresses into the site, make a few selections and in seconds the site will list the latitude and longitude coordinates, which can then be imported into a spreadsheet. The site even maps the addresses/coordinates for you in a linkable map.
MapBuilder
The great thing about MapBuilder is that while the site can be used to easily create a map in minutes, it's also able to create extraordinarily complex maps that are no more difficult to create. Markers can include text, photos, video, links and HTML, which can be create using the site's a user-friendly interface. Because the finished product is exported as an HTML/CSS file, the more tech-minded can add customized markers are change the entire look and style of the map by just tweaking a few lines of code.
Several 10,000 Words maps, including "U.S. Newspapers pick the president" were built with MapBuilder.
CloudMade
Developers looking for even more customization and flexibility should consider CloudMade, which can be used to create simple to turn-by-turn directions to complex web and mobile applications backed by programming languages such as Java, Python and Ruby. As an added bonus, designers who are tired of the same old maps available from Google Maps and Yahoo Maps, can choose from a wide range of map designs that are easy on the eyes.
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
• 8 Beautifully Designed Maps
• Explore the Earth with online maps
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
Labels: maps
Where to find the best online interactive maps
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
With a wide range of ways to create online maps, many more news organizations are using these tools to create interesting and unique online maps. Some media companies like the ones featured below are consistently producing good maps that are both visually engaging and educate readers.
The Toronto Star's online iteration produces maps using a combination of the Google Maps API and layers, tools that anyone can pick up and learn. What makes the Star exceptional is its chosen subject matter and the simplicity in which complex data is presented. These unique maps visualize a wide range of topics, including obesity, murder, and of course, chlamydia.
Stamen Design, a technology and design studio based in San Francisco, has produced some of the most visually arresting yet informative maps of anyone outside of the traditional journalism sphere. The company has a long list of clients and an impressive body of work, including Oakland Crimespotting and San Francisco Crimespotting two incredibly detailed, Flash-based interactive maps, and its latest offering the California Stimulus Map, a searchable, visual index of economic recovery funds.
The Journal has covered a number of news subjects using interactive maps, including regional violence in Afghanistan. The paper, however, sets itself apart from other online maps by making raw data available immediately below its maps. The sortable tables of data can be found alongside projects like "Failed Banks," "Pressure on the Presses," an examination of declining newspaper circulation, and "Stimulus Spending by State."
The work of the New York Times has been featured a gajillion times on this blog for good reason — its interactive online journalism is in a league of its own. The Times staff has produced a lot of outstanding maps over the years, including its recent work on immigration, local homicides and water pollution.
The attributes all of the aforementioned content producers have in common is a unique approach to existing mapping technology and the ability to visualize information in a way that is clear and understandable to the viewer. The Las Vegas Sun is all this and more, creating a wide variety of maps including a searchable database/Google Map mashup of local crimes, a clever mashup of restaurants open at any given time, an interactive visualization of flight delays around the country and a Flash-animated map of the history of the Las Vegas strip and beyond.
There are some incredible online maps featured here, but there are a great many more that are not. Seen a great online interactive map lately? Share it in the comments!
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
• 5 Online tools for getting more out of maps
• 5 Interactive maps that connect communities
TheStar.com
The Toronto Star's online iteration produces maps using a combination of the Google Maps API and layers, tools that anyone can pick up and learn. What makes the Star exceptional is its chosen subject matter and the simplicity in which complex data is presented. These unique maps visualize a wide range of topics, including obesity, murder, and of course, chlamydia.
Stamen Design
Stamen Design, a technology and design studio based in San Francisco, has produced some of the most visually arresting yet informative maps of anyone outside of the traditional journalism sphere. The company has a long list of clients and an impressive body of work, including Oakland Crimespotting and San Francisco Crimespotting two incredibly detailed, Flash-based interactive maps, and its latest offering the California Stimulus Map, a searchable, visual index of economic recovery funds.
The Wall Street Journal
The Journal has covered a number of news subjects using interactive maps, including regional violence in Afghanistan. The paper, however, sets itself apart from other online maps by making raw data available immediately below its maps. The sortable tables of data can be found alongside projects like "Failed Banks," "Pressure on the Presses," an examination of declining newspaper circulation, and "Stimulus Spending by State."
The New York Times
The work of the New York Times has been featured a gajillion times on this blog for good reason — its interactive online journalism is in a league of its own. The Times staff has produced a lot of outstanding maps over the years, including its recent work on immigration, local homicides and water pollution.
Las Vegas Sun
The attributes all of the aforementioned content producers have in common is a unique approach to existing mapping technology and the ability to visualize information in a way that is clear and understandable to the viewer. The Las Vegas Sun is all this and more, creating a wide variety of maps including a searchable database/Google Map mashup of local crimes, a clever mashup of restaurants open at any given time, an interactive visualization of flight delays around the country and a Flash-animated map of the history of the Las Vegas strip and beyond.
There are some incredible online maps featured here, but there are a great many more that are not. Seen a great online interactive map lately? Share it in the comments!
Also on 10,000 Words:
• 5 Ways to create a Google Map in minutes
• 10 Mind-blowing maps (and 3 ways to create them)
• 5 Online tools for getting more out of maps
• 5 Interactive maps that connect communities
Labels: maps
