Map of the Week
Some Maps in the Wild: Nova Scotia Edition
There is an entire web site dedicated to #MapsintheWild - also a social media hashtag. On a recent...
a year ago
There is an entire web site dedicated to #MapsintheWild - also a social media hashtag. On a recent trip to Nova Scotia, I found some very nice examples, including last week's post. Here are a few more.
There are many memorials throughout the province to the Acadians who were...
Map of the Week
Make Your Own Ferraris Map
While researching the Ferraris Atlas of Belgium from my last post, I came across a Github page that...
3 months ago
While researching the Ferraris Atlas of Belgium from my last post, I came across a Github page that lets you create your own Ferraris style map using QGIS. The author, Manuel Claeys Bouuaert did an excellent job creating a hand drawn looking style using modern technology....
Transit Maps
Official Map: Newark International Airport Regional Rail Connections, 2023
Every so often, I come across a transit map that is just so unfit for purpose that all I can do is...
a year ago
Every so often, I come across a transit map that is just so unfit for purpose that all I can do is scratch my head and ponder, “Just why?” This is one of those maps. Produced by (or on behalf of) Newark International Airport, it purports to show regional rail services that you...
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Trams of Brisbane, Queensland, 1957
A simple but nicely drawn map of tram services in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1957. The lack...
a year ago
A simple but nicely drawn map of tram services in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1957. The lack of any sort of key for the routes means that users need to have some familiarity with the city to decipher where trams might go. The pamphlet that the map is part of includes...
Maps Mania
I'm Sending You Back to the Future!
a month ago
Transit Maps
Submission – Fantasy Map: New York Regional Rail Concept by James G
Submitted by James, who says: I created this map based on various concepts (mainly the work of Alon...
5 months ago
Submitted by James, who says: I created this map based on various concepts (mainly the work of Alon Levy) for through-running regional rail in the New York region. This network would integrate all of the current commuter rail networks, increasing frequencies to metro-like levels,...
Maps Mania
When is the Coldest Day of the Year?
11 months ago
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Sydney Railway Layout, c. 1940
Unearthed on Twitter (It’ll always be Twitter to me, no matter what Elon says) by @crossing_lights,...
a year ago
Unearthed on Twitter (It’ll always be Twitter to me, no matter what Elon says) by @crossing_lights, this is quite an extraordinary find. Long-time readers may have seen the 1939 version of this diagram (and the digital recreation that I made). Here’s the thing: the general...
Maps Mania
The Book Banning Map of America
4 months ago
Maps Mania
Backdrop - the Ultimate Challenge
8 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 8 (Onward to London)
Finally we reached the end of our time in Dorset. I enjoyed that quiet corner of England and I felt...
5 months ago
Finally we reached the end of our time in Dorset. I enjoyed that quiet corner of England and I felt we covered it pretty thoroughly. Now we needed to drive back to London where a whole new set of adventures awaited. Stonehenge However, we couldn’t go straight back because of...
somethingaboutmaps
Projection Cards
I had a whimsical idea a few months ago: map projection trading cards. Something nerdy and...
over a year ago
I had a whimsical idea a few months ago: map projection trading cards. Something nerdy and map-related that you could collect and exchange at conferences. I poked around at some design ideas for a while, and here’s what I’ve come up with so far. This is the front side of the...
Maps Mania
Mapping Oil and Gas Emissions
11 months ago
Maps Mania
The River Basins & Watersheds of the World
a year ago
Maps Mania
Alternatives to Google Maps Street View
a year ago
Map of the Week
Forest Fires All Over North America
This has been a remarkably heavy year for forest fires and it's still very early in the season. The...
a year ago
This has been a remarkably heavy year for forest fires and it's still very early in the season. The last few summers the West Coast has experienced many days of terrible air quality. This year the East Coast is experiencing it. Last week cities like New York, Philadelphia and...
Map of the Week
30 Day Map Challenge-Admiring the Work of Others
For the past several years November for me has meant working on the 30 Day Map Challenge. This year...
a month ago
For the past several years November for me has meant working on the 30 Day Map Challenge. This year I’ve been too busy to participate - also I really needed a break from it. Not participating means I’ve been able to admire the work of other cartographers. Here are some highlights...
Maps Mania
Guess This City - Daily Challenge
7 months ago
Maps Mania
Tracking Russia's 'Dark' Shadow Ships
4 months ago
Map of the Week
Indigenous Map of Southern Ontario
Christi Belcourt is a Metis artist who "indigenized" the regional maps and surveys of Albert Salter...
7 months ago
Christi Belcourt is a Metis artist who "indigenized" the regional maps and surveys of Albert Salter into a map called "Good Land".
One side of the map has the English text that most people are familiar with, while the other side uses indigenous place names and commentary....
Maps Mania
Geotripper - the Traveling Salesman Game
a month ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Dayton, Ohio Part 7 (Hodgepodge)
The Dayton trip came to an end but I still had a bunch of stuff to talk about that didn’t fit into...
8 months ago
The Dayton trip came to an end but I still had a bunch of stuff to talk about that didn’t fit into any of the earlier articles. Naturally I’ve collected them all together within this final compilation to serve as a wrap-up. Then we can call this one done and move onto the next...
James Cheshire
Atlas des Unsichtbaren
Thrilled to announce the publication of German edition of Atlas of the Invisible: Atlas des...
over a year ago
Thrilled to announce the publication of German edition of Atlas of the Invisible: Atlas des Unsichtbaren. It is published by Hanser, who also did an amazing job with our previous book Die Wege der Tiere, and available in all good bookshops across the German speaking world. Click...
Transit Maps
Submission – New Official Map: UTA Rail and BRT Map, 2023
Submitted by Browne, who says: UTA, the primary transit provider for northern Utah, has officially...
a year ago
Submitted by Browne, who says: UTA, the primary transit provider for northern Utah, has officially launched its newest BRT service, and with it, a new transit map. The OGX is a new BRT route from Ogden Central Station, downtown, Weber State University, and down to McKay-Dee...
Adventures In...
Imagery basemap ready for data
Imagery is the most detailed, most literal of basemaps. You are actually seeing a picture of what...
a year ago
Imagery is the most detailed, most literal of basemaps. You are actually seeing a picture of what the ground looks like at any location. And while this sort of context can be incredibly useful, it can also wreck the way we see and understand thematic data that is draped over it....
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Broomfield and Denver Weekend
I’ve been traveling a lot lately. It feels like I just got back from the Pacific Northwest, and...
2 months ago
I’ve been traveling a lot lately. It feels like I just got back from the Pacific Northwest, and before that England, and then I’m heading right back out the door again. This should do it for awhile though; I need some rest. But this trip was a little different because I was there...
Maps Mania
Memorial Day Weekend Helicopter Flights
5 months ago
Transit Maps
Submission – Unofficial Map: Arendal Region Transit Map, Norway by Hazael
Hi! I made this transit diagram myself. I saw there was no “real” map with all the stations for the...
4 months ago
Hi! I made this transit diagram myself. I saw there was no “real” map with all the stations for the region of Arendal in Norway, so I decided to do this project. I would love to read your comments and criticisms! Transit Maps says: There’s a lot to like about this diagram – a...
Musings on Maps
Along Narnia’s Enchanted Shores
As we face an age when the norms of legal conduct in the United States stand to be shredded, we have...
a month ago
As we face an age when the norms of legal conduct in the United States stand to be shredded, we have been suggested to benefit from looking, both for perspective and solace, if only for relief, to fantasy literature as … Continue reading →
Transit Maps
Submission – Official Map: Madrid Cercanías Rail Network, December 2024
Submitted by Juan, who says: I send the new version of the Renfe-Madrid Cercanías network. It seems...
4 days ago
Submitted by Juan, who says: I send the new version of the Renfe-Madrid Cercanías network. It seems to me that it has improved quite a lot the previous version. This previous version had crossroads, angles, etc. I would like to know your opinion about this new map. Transit Maps...
Map of the Week
Mid 1900's Urban Planning in Philadelphia
Here are a few urban planning items to close out Philadelphia month. Hope you have enjoyed the...
a year ago
Here are a few urban planning items to close out Philadelphia month. Hope you have enjoyed the journey.
Cathedral Road:
There are many discontinued highways and roads to nowhere throughout the United States, including Woodhaven Road, a dead end expressway in Northeast...
Maps Mania
How big are London, New York & Tokyo?
a year ago
Adventures In...
North Arrow Necessity
Can a map still be considered a map if it doesn’t have a north arrow? Yes. A north arrow is an...
4 months ago
Can a map still be considered a map if it doesn’t have a north arrow? Yes. A north arrow is an optional map accompaniment and you should think critically about your map to determine for yourself if it needs a north arrow or not. For what it’s worth, often a map should not have a...
Map of the Week
German Food with Protected Geographical Origin
This map shows some of the 96 foods in Germany that have a protected geographic origin from the...
8 months ago
This map shows some of the 96 foods in Germany that have a protected geographic origin from the European Union.
For example curry sausages must be produced within the city limits of Berlin or they can't be marketed as Berlin currywurst. Other geographically protected foods...
Maps Mania
The Worldwide Breaking News Map
6 months ago
Map of the Week
Thirty Day Map Challenge 2023-Days 17-23
Another week of 30 Day Map Challenge Maps…
Day 17 - Flow
Probably the intention here was to have...
a year ago
Another week of 30 Day Map Challenge Maps…
Day 17 - Flow
Probably the intention here was to have people make maps of the flow of surface water or air or traffic but I decided to make a flow chart instead.
A vaguely interesting look at the trip home I had to make many times as...
Maps Mania
Alien Arrivals Nosedive in 2023!
10 months ago
somethingaboutmaps
A New, Unrelated Blog
Kindly readers: I wanted to let you know that I’ve started another little publication, one which has...
over a year ago
Kindly readers: I wanted to let you know that I’ve started another little publication, one which has nothing to do with maps, but I figure is worth telling you about anyway: I climb trees recreationally, and I’ve decided to start writing about my thoughts and experiences. Perhaps...
GeoCurrents
The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election Was No Landslide
Donald Trump clearly enjoyed an unexpected and decisive victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential...
2 months ago
Donald Trump clearly enjoyed an unexpected and decisive victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Indeed, many journalists and pundits have described the results as nothing less than a “landslide.” In truth, it came nowhere near that standing. Although the final vote count...
Map of the Week
Seoul Maps
I found this nice collection of maps of Seoul, South Korea's largest city and capital from...
a year ago
I found this nice collection of maps of Seoul, South Korea's largest city and capital from theSEOULlive. This is a website/magazine of Korean culture that "focuses on unraveling the hidden jewels of Seoul that can only be found with rumination."
Unfortunately these maps are...
Adventures In...
Thoughts on the Cartographer’s Role in an AI Future
A few moments ago I was asked by a student about the “development of cartography over the next 10...
10 months ago
A few moments ago I was asked by a student about the “development of cartography over the next 10 years.” Here’s my somewhat off-the-cuff response, though my thoughts have been steeping in this for the past year or so. In the next 10 years artificial intelligence, and probably...
Map of the Week
An Appreciation of Ordnance Survey Maps
I spent some time in May at the British Library randomly looking at atlases and maps, some of which...
6 months ago
I spent some time in May at the British Library randomly looking at atlases and maps, some of which will be featured here in upcoming weeks. They have a huge collection of Ordnance Survey atlas books of 1:1056 scale (1 inch = 88 feet) map sheets. While these maps are primarily...
Maps Mania
Exploring London Through the Artist's Eye
5 months ago
Adventures In...
Tolkien Style Maps in a GIS: part 3, Water
“The world has changed. I see it in the water.” In this 4-part series we’ll walk through the...
11 months ago
“The world has changed. I see it in the water.” In this 4-part series we’ll walk through the reckoning of a Lord of the Rings style fantasy map, right in ArcGIS Pro. We map-makers get to breathe honest to goodness geographic life into the seminal aesthetic found in the LOTR...
Transit Maps
Submission – Unofficial Diagram of Victorian Ferry Routes, 2024 by Bushland Maps
Submitted by Bushland Maps, who say: Ferries are a bit of a forgotten mode of transport in...
a month ago
Submitted by Bushland Maps, who say: Ferries are a bit of a forgotten mode of transport in Melbourne. With no integration into the fare system or journey planners, and with overarching public transport body PTV only “overseeing” three of the routes (which doesn’t have any...
somethingaboutmaps
Kickstarter 3: The Return
For the past several years, I’ve enjoyed the process of cyanotype printing, and have released a...
a month ago
For the past several years, I’ve enjoyed the process of cyanotype printing, and have released a number of projects based on this technique (including my favorite item I’ve ever made). Now, I’ve decided to take my recent work in developing terrain sketches, and turn it into a new...
somethingaboutmaps
Another Atlas of Minor Projects
A few years ago, I compiled a PDF of various small odds-and-ends mapping projects that I’d done....
11 months ago
A few years ago, I compiled a PDF of various small odds-and-ends mapping projects that I’d done. Now, I’ve done it again. Please enjoy Another Atlas of Minor Projects, which houses a few dozen cartographic items that needed a home. These are all small, mostly-quick projects that...
Map of the Week
Indigenous Languages-Part 3
Here is part 3 in what was meant to be a two part series. In between my last two posts, Vivid Maps...
11 months ago
Here is part 3 in what was meant to be a two part series. In between my last two posts, Vivid Maps posted a map of indigenous languages. I think this was just a coincidence. I only saw their post yesterday and I don't think they saw or were reacting to what I posted. Anyway this...
GeoCurrents
Fernand Braudel: The Greatest Geographer of the Twentieth Century?
[Today’s post is the text of an oral presentation that I recently gave at a Stanford-Berkeley...
3 weeks ago
[Today’s post is the text of an oral presentation that I recently gave at a Stanford-Berkeley Symposium on the legacy of the French historian Fernand Braudel.] In 1981, I entered the graduate program in geography at U.C. Berkeley and found myself in a war zone. The traditionalist...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 4 (Bristol)
In retrospect we probably should have done this as an overnight trip. As we soon learned, there’s no...
5 months ago
In retrospect we probably should have done this as an overnight trip. As we soon learned, there’s no fast, direct way to drive from Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck to Bristol (map). Google says it should take a couple of hours in optimal conditions which sounds doable, if a bit slow....
Map of the Week
America's First Subway Map
The first subway in the United States was built in Boston. The tunnel ran along Tremont Street, a...
a year ago
The first subway in the United States was built in Boston. The tunnel ran along Tremont Street, a chaotic mess of streetcars, horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians. The tunnel was built to route the streetcars underground to ease congestion. Here is a plan of the original subway...
Map of the Week
Everglades Restoration
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has invested over a billion dollars to restore Florida's Everglades...
4 months ago
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has invested over a billion dollars to restore Florida's Everglades as part of the Infrastructure Bill of 2021. The goal is to restore the natural flow that has been cut off by agriculture and urban development.
The original flow was from the...
Musings on Maps
The Office of the Geographer and Art of the Deal
There is plenty of blame going round this election cycle on the Democratic Party for having given...
2 months ago
There is plenty of blame going round this election cycle on the Democratic Party for having given material assistance–if not tacitly supported–the bombing Palestinian inhabitants and settlements in Gaza by Israeli Defense Forces. The drumbeat of disquiet about the Democratic …...
Maps Mania
The Best Price Comparison Maps
10 months ago
Maps Mania
The American Election & the Rest of the World
3 months ago
Map of the Week
The Grand Paris Express
I was recently in Harvard University's Graduate School of Design (GSD) when I came across this...
a year ago
I was recently in Harvard University's Graduate School of Design (GSD) when I came across this fantastic exhibit on the Grand Paris Express. The GPE is a hugely ambitious project to add several metro ring lines connecting the suburbs of Paris to each other and to the central...
Map of the Week
Countries with Women Leaders
Here is a map from the Washington Post, via Reddit showing countries past & present with women as...
a month ago
Here is a map from the Washington Post, via Reddit showing countries past & present with women as heads of state. Click it (and then again) for higher resolution.
We in the United States like to think we are the most advanced country in the world but by this metric we are well...
Maps Mania
There are 2,773 stories in the Naked City
10 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 6 (Bournemouth)
We didn’t go far but it seemed like a world apart, traveling from an isolated corner of Dorset into...
5 months ago
We didn’t go far but it seemed like a world apart, traveling from an isolated corner of Dorset into its most populous area. That led us to Bournemouth (map), a coastal town along the English Channel. There are so many ancient places in the United Kingdom but this is not one of...
Adventures In...
Throwing Shade In Wild Color
I once heard someone say that standard hillshade (one-direction light source) ignores half of the...
a year ago
I once heard someone say that standard hillshade (one-direction light source) ignores half of the terrain. While this is an exaggeration, it makes a good point. Earth has an atmosphere and light diffuses, bounces, and wraps around a terrain in a manner that a single light...
Maps Mania
540 Million Years of Planet Earth
8 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping a Global Coral Bleaching Event
8 months ago
Map of the Week
My Favorite New Jersey Drone Map
Here is my favorite “map” showing the drone hysteria over New Jersey. It’s from Instagram...
3 weeks ago
Here is my favorite “map” showing the drone hysteria over New Jersey. It’s from Instagram user wmh_x_0, aka Oona Harrigan.
It is based on these maps of drone sightings that have been going around the internet.
The “globe” text is there because she is known for designing sad...
Maps Mania
The Interactive Map of Ambridge
2 months ago
Maps Mania
The Global Problem of Forever Chemicals
a year ago
Adventures In...
Boost the Human Footprint in Imagery
The World Imagery Basemap is a lovely resource spanning the Earth in all directions at all scales....
3 months ago
The World Imagery Basemap is a lovely resource spanning the Earth in all directions at all scales. If you want to add a level of context you can always add a reference overlay. But what about baking a reference overlay into the imagery in a way that makes it look, like, sort of...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 9 (Atypical London)
Before we left on our trip to England I promised everyone in the family that we would visit at least...
5 months ago
Before we left on our trip to England I promised everyone in the family that we would visit at least one thing they absolutely wanted to see. We completed that for the younger kid at Tankfest. Two more bucket list destinations happened during our first full day in London. We’re...
Map of the Week
Thirty Day Map Challenge 2023-Days 1 and 2
Yes it’s November and time for another 30 Day Map Challenge. As in previous years (see here for last...
a year ago
Yes it’s November and time for another 30 Day Map Challenge. As in previous years (see here for last year) I began with no real goal of completing it or much idea beyond the first few days. Also as in previous years I’m getting sucked in again. Only two days of action to report...
Maps Mania
OpenStreetMap Edits in Real Time
11 months ago
Map of the Week
Headwaters
When I see a river, I often think about where it comes from and where it goes. I started a mapping...
a year ago
When I see a river, I often think about where it comes from and where it goes. I started a mapping project showing this for the Northeastern United States. For the level of detail needed it was necessary to choose a manageable area so I chose where I've lived almost all of my...
Map of the Week
Snickelways of York
Note: In May, I spent some time traveling through England. This is the first of maybe several posts...
6 months ago
Note: In May, I spent some time traveling through England. This is the first of maybe several posts from that trip.
In York, England a snickelway is a narrow passageway variously referred to as a"snicket", "gimmel" or "alleyway", the word being a combination of all of these. Mark...
Maps Mania
Racial Covenants in Santa Clara Properties
2 months ago
Maps Mania
How Big is Your Country's CO2 Footprint?
2 months ago
Maps Mania
It's War on the Streets of Paris
7 months ago
Maps Mania
The Easter Bunny's Egg-cellent Adventure
9 months ago
somethingaboutmaps
My Decade with Blender
It occurs to me that I have been Blendering for a long time. In fact, it’s been almost exactly a...
8 months ago
It occurs to me that I have been Blendering for a long time. In fact, it’s been almost exactly a decade since I gave my first public presentation on the technique of generating shaded relief using Blender. And in that time, the method has been adopted far more widely than I could...
Maps Mania
Google Updates Satellite Imagery of Ukraine
a year ago
Adventures In...
GIS Day 2024
They say it’s the mappiest day of the year, but here’s a short video we made for GIS Day way back at...
a month ago
They say it’s the mappiest day of the year, but here’s a short video we made for GIS Day way back at the mappiest place on earth (aka the Esri User Conference) back in July! November felt like forever away, but you know how all that goes. Thanks to Jo Ann Prichniewski for...
Transit Maps
15% Off All Prints in the “Transit Maps” Store
Just a reminder that the best way to support the site is by buying a print from our online store,...
a month ago
Just a reminder that the best way to support the site is by buying a print from our online store, because you get something awesome in return! We’re having a Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday sale with 15% off all prints. Choose from my original...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Dayton, Ohio Part 3 (Museums)
Sure, I visited the various Wright Brothers museums, historical sites, and memorials but they...
9 months ago
Sure, I visited the various Wright Brothers museums, historical sites, and memorials but they weren’t the totality of Dayton’s remarkable legacy. It wasn’t even the reason why we visited. I mentioned the younger kid’s interest in all things aeronautical earlier and it traced back...
Map of the Week
Nice Eclipse Maps - Part 2
As promised from last week's post here are a couple additional sites that nicely visualize the path...
10 months ago
As promised from last week's post here are a couple additional sites that nicely visualize the path of next month's eclipse. The first one is from Bloomberg, How to Find the Best Cities to Watch the Eclipse. One of the best things about this page is that it starts with an...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Osage Orange
It seemed strange to fixate on a single tree for more than a decade but that’s exactly what...
a month ago
It seemed strange to fixate on a single tree for more than a decade but that’s exactly what happened. I notice it a few weeks every autumn and then quickly forget about it for another year. That all started sometime around 2013 when I began to ride a stretch of the Capital...
Adventures In...
How to Reattach Land that Spills Over the International Dateline
If you’ve ever made a world map before, you may have noticed that bit of Siberia that spills over...
a year ago
If you’ve ever made a world map before, you may have noticed that bit of Siberia that spills over the International Dateline only to magically appear on the left edge of the world. When it comes to projecting our not-2D world onto a 2D surface, we have to draw the line somewhere....
Maps Mania
One Million Screenshots. One Map!
4 months ago
Adventures In...
Layout sandwich
Here’s how to make an ArcGIS Pro layout where certain elements of the map step over the neatline and...
a year ago
Here’s how to make an ArcGIS Pro layout where certain elements of the map step over the neatline and the graticule is relegated only to the oceans. Because that looks cool! Mapping has a long and handsome history of neatlines that are interrupted by bits of land spilling over it,...
Map of the Week
Philadelphia Bookstore Map
Note: As September comes to a close so does Philadelphia month. There will be a couple more posts...
a year ago
Note: As September comes to a close so does Philadelphia month. There will be a couple more posts today and tomorrow before I return to my normal weekly schedule.
This one is personal. Several years ago I was working with a Philly-based computer programmer and an artist to create...
Maps Mania
America's Disappearing Birds
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Live 2 Years Longer with Better Air Quality
a year ago
Map of the Week
Map of Endangered Languages
Languages become endangered when parents teach a more dominant language to their children. This...
11 months ago
Languages become endangered when parents teach a more dominant language to their children. This clickable map can be found on Ethnologue, a language reference guide and a good place to spend part of this International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Hover over a language to see...
Map of the Week
The Southern Underground Railroad
This map, via Smithsonian, shows the main passageways that the enslaved took southwards to...
a year ago
This map, via Smithsonian, shows the main passageways that the enslaved took southwards to freedom.
The southern Underground Railroad was less traveled and much less well documented, but Mexico after gaining independence passed strong anti-slavery laws. Even before that the...
Maps Mania
The 3rd Hour of the 1 Hour AI Map Challenge
11 months ago
James Cheshire
More than arrows
UPDATE: If you would like a detailed reflection on this, I have co-authored an article with Alex...
over a year ago
UPDATE: If you would like a detailed reflection on this, I have co-authored an article with Alex Kent entitled Getting to the Point? Rethinking Arrows on Maps. You can read it here. This week I took to Twitter to offer a critique on way we might map (at the time of writing) the...
Adventures In...
How to Make a Hexagonal Cartogram in ArcGIS Pro
Of course maps are just the most fascinating and information dense graphical information products...
10 months ago
Of course maps are just the most fascinating and information dense graphical information products around…in my unbiased opinion. I can, and do, go on and on about the deep and pervasive benefits of spatial representations. But…well…sometimes a map, strictly speaking, can have...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 3 (Japan: Tokyo Temples and Tourists)
I arrived in Japan on a Friday evening, having lost an entire day crossing the International Date...
a year ago
I arrived in Japan on a Friday evening, having lost an entire day crossing the International Date Line from Honolulu. But it also meant I got a free weekend in Tokyo before resuming work on Monday. It’s easier and cheaper to stay in a hotel all weekend than go half way around the...
Map of the Week
MapFailbruary Challenge Days 1-14
Those of you who follow me on my Twitter and Mastodon feeds know that I spent February doing yet...
a year ago
Those of you who follow me on my Twitter and Mastodon feeds know that I spent February doing yet another map challenge. Like November’s 30 Day Map Challenge, only this one encourages you to fail. The #mapfail hashtag is popular and somewhat contentious among cartographers....
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 5 (Relaxing in Tamarindo)
Rainy season doesn’t mean the same thing across the entirety of Costa Rica. Nor does it start...
a year ago
Rainy season doesn’t mean the same thing across the entirety of Costa Rica. Nor does it start suddenly or retain consistent intensity. So our drive to Guanacaste Province’s drier Pacific coast during the earlier part of the season promised plenty of sunshine. That was our plan...
Maps Mania
The Loss of the Great American Grasslands
7 months ago
somethingaboutmaps
Projection Cards: Now a Reality
A couple months back, I floated an idea for making some fun trading cards based on map projections....
over a year ago
A couple months back, I floated an idea for making some fun trading cards based on map projections. I’m very happy to report that several dozen of you responded and contributed designs to help make the set happen. I’ve been spending several weeks on managing everyone and working...
Map of the Week
Bad News For Local News
Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative released the latest State of Local News. It...
2 months ago
Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative released the latest State of Local News. It highlights the dire state of print journalism with maps to illustrate the problems. This one highlights counties that are on the watch list to become news deserts.
News deserts...
Map of the Week
Maps and Views at the British Library
The British Library contains over 4.5 million maps, atlases, globes, and digital models dating back...
6 months ago
The British Library contains over 4.5 million maps, atlases, globes, and digital models dating back to medieval times. A small sample of these are displayed on the walls in a section called "Maps & Views". Here are some mediocre pictures I took with links (where I can find them)...
Maps Mania
The Supply Chain of Deforestation
10 months ago
Maps Mania
The Great Amazonian Indigenous Land Grab
a year ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Mitten Accomplished
I got a unique opportunity to visit counties in a corner of the Midwest I hadn’t touched much when...
over a year ago
I got a unique opportunity to visit counties in a corner of the Midwest I hadn’t touched much when my older kid decided to go to college in Michigan. But it didn’t offer a lot of time for my quest, just a four year window before graduation. Even so, I set what I thought was...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 2 (In the Shadow of the Volcano)
We landed at Juan Santamaría airport in San José on a Friday afternoon, clearing Immigration and...
a year ago
We landed at Juan Santamaría airport in San José on a Friday afternoon, clearing Immigration and Customs nearly effortlessly. Then we got a taste of rush hour traffic riding on the shuttle to retrieve our rental car. Driving conditions became a lot more difficult later in the...
Adventures In...
Stories
Here are some StoryMap stories that I’ve written over the years… Piracy & Time Travel How Deep is...
a year ago
Here are some StoryMap stories that I’ve written over the years… Piracy & Time Travel How Deep is Challenger Deep? Julie’s Improbable Flight How to Write a Story, starring sharks and hurricanes Gap, Pass, Notch, & Saddle College Football Air Mile Index Rivers of Plastic Smoking,...
Map of the Week
Paris Olympics 1924
Paris will host the Olympics in a few days. They previously hosted them 100 years ago. Here is a...
5 months ago
Paris will host the Olympics in a few days. They previously hosted them 100 years ago. Here is a small map of the 1924 Olympic venues.
via metropolitiques
Artist Pauline de Langre has some nice, artistic maps showing the venues in 1924 and 2024.
A bit hard to read at this...
Map of the Week
Map Failbruary Challenge Days 15-28
Here is the second half of the #MapFailbruaryChallenge. For the first half and explanations...
a year ago
Here is the second half of the #MapFailbruaryChallenge. For the first half and explanations see here. Here are the categories, again with minimal commentary.
Day 15 - You do not need to know geography to be a cartographer
Day 16 - Not safe for work
Day 17 - Not enough or...
Transit Maps
Submission – Historical Map: Duluth Transit Authority, 1982
Submitted by Darryl, who says: Going through old boxes in my basement, I came across this 1982 opus...
a month ago
Submitted by Darryl, who says: Going through old boxes in my basement, I came across this 1982 opus from the Duluth Transit Authority. I may be biased because it’s the first transit map I ever saw, but I think it’s amazing, capturing the way the city nestles into the topography,...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Silver Line Extension
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority opened its eleven mile Silver Line extension on...
over a year ago
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority opened its eleven mile Silver Line extension on November 15, 2022. I couldn’t be there on opening day but I still wanted to check out the new stations while they were relatively “new.” So I checked in with my frequent travel...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Inland Northwest, Day 2 (Walla Walla to Pendleton)
We awoke in Walla Walla at the beginning of our first full day. We couldn’t check-in at our...
3 months ago
We awoke in Walla Walla at the beginning of our first full day. We couldn’t check-in at our accommodations in Pendleton, Oregon until mid-afternoon and the drive would only take about an hour. So we needed to find something we could do locally and we got another chance to explore...
Maps Mania
Trains, Balloons and Automobiles
5 months ago
Adventures In...
Tolkien Style Maps in a GIS: part 2, Mountains
“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains. And then find somewhere where I can rest.” In...
11 months ago
“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains. And then find somewhere where I can rest.” In this 4-part series we’ll walk through the reckoning of a Lord of the Rings style fantasy map, right in ArcGIS Pro. We map-makers get to breathe honest to goodness geographic life...
Map of the Week
Summer of Extremes
It's been a summer of extremes around the world. Here is the United States we have dangerous...
a year ago
It's been a summer of extremes around the world. Here is the United States we have dangerous heat,
via Washington Post
droughts and floods, existing in close proximity in places,
US Drought Monitor
and wildfire smoke covering much of the country.
via...
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Argentine Railways, 1907
Now this is a map! This is just superb cartography: detailed, clear and lovely to look at. I love...
a year ago
Now this is a map! This is just superb cartography: detailed, clear and lovely to look at. I love the way that brown is used for mountainous features, and a light blue is used for water features – it allows this information to be visible, but it doesn’t compete with the overlaid...
Maps Mania
Using the Overpass API with Leaflet
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Tory Candidates Violently Attacked
6 months ago
Adventures In...
Find and download vintage USGS topo maps
The new Historical Topo Map Explorer is out of beta and ready for you to dive into a collection of...
7 months ago
The new Historical Topo Map Explorer is out of beta and ready for you to dive into a collection of over 180,000 beautiful vintage USGS topo maps! Use this updated Living Atlas app to geographically browse, download, export, and even animate, these cartographic objects of joy....
Maps Mania
Four Free Alternatives to GeoGuessr
9 months ago
Maps Mania
Real-time Air Pollution Alerts
10 months ago
Map of the Week
Map of Endangered Languages - Part 2
Last week's post showed a huge number of indigenous languages throughout the world. Here is a...
11 months ago
Last week's post showed a huge number of indigenous languages throughout the world. Here is a summary (via the Living Tongues Institute) showing hotspots of endangered languages.
The above site has a companion living dictionaries site where you can find a language by...
Maps Mania
Canada's Hidden Subterranean Rivers
9 months ago
Adventures In...
Three Maps & the Truth
You may have heard that “all maps lie” and that’s right (also, here’s some required reading). Each...
a month ago
You may have heard that “all maps lie” and that’s right (also, here’s some required reading). Each map is a collection of compromises, whether they’re geomatic (your projection and scale choices), editorial (your choice of subject and what you’ve chosen to show and not show), and...
Transit Maps
Submission – Unofficial Map: Tramways in Gdańsk, Poland by Arsen Mosiichuk, 2024
Submitted by Arsen, who says: Hello, this summer I with Sergey Steblina as art-director designed a...
3 weeks ago
Submitted by Arsen, who says: Hello, this summer I with Sergey Steblina as art-director designed a transit map of Gdańsk trams. I am very interested what Transit Maps think about this. Transit Maps says: Overall, this is very solid and clean work – very much in the style of...
Maps Mania
Live from the Sundhnúkur Eruption
9 months ago
Maps Mania
The World's Most Controversial Interactive Map
11 months ago
Map of the Week
The Possible Collapse of Oceanic Circulation
This map, via Down to Earth shows the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).
The AMOC...
8 months ago
This map, via Down to Earth shows the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).
The AMOC is like a "heat conveyor belt". It moderates temperatures on the planet by moving warmer air to northern latitudes while returning cooler air to the tropics. It has already slowed...
Maps Mania
Mapping the Political Landscape
3 months ago
Adventures In...
How to Make a Historical Animation with Landsat
Here’s how to whip up a three decade animation of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest,...
10 months ago
Here’s how to whip up a three decade animation of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest, using Landsat Explorer. And it only takes a few minutes. … 0:00 Intro0:20 Assembling the animation1:47 Checking the result2:14 Saving an animation as an MP42:44 More animation examples3:33...
somethingaboutmaps
Simple Oblique Views in Blender
While many people use my Blender shaded relief tutorial, and associate me with the software, I’m...
over a year ago
While many people use my Blender shaded relief tutorial, and associate me with the software, I’m really not much of a 3D cartographer. I make oblique-view maps only rarely, and when I do, it’s usually in a simplified, abstract style, rather than the detailed, naturalistic...
Map of the Week
The Salt Front
The salt front is the point where a river becomes too salty to be safe for drinking water. The front...
a month ago
The salt front is the point where a river becomes too salty to be safe for drinking water. The front moves upstream from the river’s mouth as less freshwater flows downstream to dilute it. I’d never heard of a salt front until I read about it in a recent article in...
Maps Mania
Today's Global Heating Forecast
6 months ago
Transit Maps
Submission – BART “Heat Map” by Harsha Devulapalli
Submitted by Harsha, who says: I’ve been a big fan of your blog for over a decade. Recently, I had...
4 months ago
Submitted by Harsha, who says: I’ve been a big fan of your blog for over a decade. Recently, I had the opportunity to replicate the BART transit map for a data visualization in a story I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle. I would love to hear your thoughts on it! Transit Maps...
James Cheshire
Being creative is reason enough to try different data visualization
A simple line chart might be all you need to communicate the patterns in a dataset, but it might not...
over a year ago
A simple line chart might be all you need to communicate the patterns in a dataset, but it might not be given a second glance. Getting the viewer to work a little harder to interpret and think about a graphic can be a very effective way of generating engagement. This is where the...
Maps Mania
What is Your Neighborhood Scare Score?
2 months ago
Map of the Week
The Black Atlantic
This map was created by Léopold Lambert to emphasize centrality of the Atlantic Ocean to the slave...
11 months ago
This map was created by Léopold Lambert to emphasize centrality of the Atlantic Ocean to the slave trade.
The map was created for an article in the Funambulist and was recently featured as a “Map of the Week” (yes there are others) for the American Geographical...
Map of the Week
Taiyoh Pokemon Nation
Taiyoh is a fan-made Pokemon nation. It is based on Japan. In fact, the resemblance is so strong...
a year ago
Taiyoh is a fan-made Pokemon nation. It is based on Japan. In fact, the resemblance is so strong that I came across these pages when looking for maps of Japan.
I will refrain from commenting on Pokemon given my lack of knowledge. However, I like the look and feel of this map....
Maps Mania
Mapping Russian Military Facilities in Crimea
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Newest Maps of Mars - in 3D
6 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Inland Northwest, Day 1 (Staging)
Was there a name for that largely empty space beyond Washington’s Cascades Range and into the Idaho...
3 months ago
Was there a name for that largely empty space beyond Washington’s Cascades Range and into the Idaho Panhandle? A little research suggested the Inland Northwest, or perhaps a now lesser-used designation, the Inland Empire (not to be confused with a similarly named area of...
Adventures In...
Analysis in the Browser
Here is a two-pack with some small adventures with data in ArcGIS Online. The first is a smashing of...
a year ago
Here is a two-pack with some small adventures with data in ArcGIS Online. The first is a smashing of two fields into a new frankenfield ready for mapping, and the second shows how to create entirely new map layers and cram them with meaningful attributes. … Sometimes you have all...
Adventures In...
How to emboss an imagery basemap
Ah the simple pleasures of the World Imagery basemap. So much earth. So much imagery. So many...
a year ago
Ah the simple pleasures of the World Imagery basemap. So much earth. So much imagery. So many corners of this world to explore. How can we take something so verdant and charming and just ratchet it up to eleven? We’ll use a water mask and some layer effects, that’s how! 0:00...
Adventures In...
Dashing Maps
There are lots of reasons why cartographers use dashed lines in their maps. Sometimes there are a...
2 months ago
There are lots of reasons why cartographers use dashed lines in their maps. Sometimes there are a lot of different sorts of lines going around and it’s the best way to differentiate between different categories of things. Or we can embed meaning into them, like a dashed line...
James Cheshire
The long history of using maps to hold water companies to account
James Cheshire, UCL Southern Water was handed a record fine of £90 million in July 2021 after...
over a year ago
James Cheshire, UCL Southern Water was handed a record fine of £90 million in July 2021 after pleading guilty to illegally discharging sewage along the rivers and coastline of Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. More than a year later, the headlines have not improved for Britain’s...
Map of the Week
A Blue Map of China
This past weekend I finally got to the Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library to see...
4 months ago
This past weekend I finally got to the Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library to see their exhibit, Heaven and Earth: The Blue Maps of China on one of its final days. Yes, I should have visited months ago when I could have encouraged readers to see it but though they...
Map of the Week
This One
This one map (via New York Times) tells you quite a bit about what happened in the U.S. Election on...
2 months ago
This one map (via New York Times) tells you quite a bit about what happened in the U.S. Election on Tuesday.
Aside from a few strange outliers (western Oklahoma, suburban Atlanta, northwest Michigan) The "red shift" happened across all regions and demographics. Hard to look at...
James Cheshire
COVID inquiry heard Boris Johnson ‘struggled’ with graphs – if you do too, here are some tips
James Cheshire, UCL and Rob Davidson, UCL In March 2020, the UK government’s chief scientific...
a year ago
James Cheshire, UCL and Rob Davidson, UCL In March 2020, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, presented to the nation a graph showing “the shape of an epidemic”. The red line depicting the number of predicted COVID cases rose to a steep peak before...
Maps Mania
The Street Names of Budapest
10 months ago
Adventures In...
Make this AI-inspired topo landscape please
Many weeks ago I saw an achingly beautiful bit of AI-generated terrain art shared by Esri’s glorious...
a year ago
Many weeks ago I saw an achingly beautiful bit of AI-generated terrain art shared by Esri’s glorious instagram account. Initially I was a bit intimidated by the robots; it was so charming and tactile and wondrous and dreamlike and sinuous. But also…inspiring. I wondered if I...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 8 (Postscript: Interesting Signs)
I know that some of the articles in this series veered into heavy topics. So let’s take things in a...
a year ago
I know that some of the articles in this series veered into heavy topics. So let’s take things in a less serious direction for a moment now that I’ve completed the travelogue portion. It’s no secret that I enjoy signage, the more unusual the better. Sometimes I even collect them...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Indiana I-69 Time Zone Crossing
If you’re driving along Indiana’s portion of Interstate 69, say from Evansville to Bloomington, you...
2 weeks ago
If you’re driving along Indiana’s portion of Interstate 69, say from Evansville to Bloomington, you are going to cross a Time Zone boundary. It happens between Mile Markers 37.5 and 39.0, about forty minutes north of Evansville at normal highway speeds. But please note that the...
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Diagram of Passenger Stations in the Sydney Metropolitan Area, 1928
There’s a lot to like about this simple little track diagram of Sydney’s rail system from 1928....
5 months ago
There’s a lot to like about this simple little track diagram of Sydney’s rail system from 1928. There’s a lot of different angles – both with route lines and station labels – but it still manages to hang together as a coherent whole. A big part of that is the dead straight...
Adventures In...
How to make this thematic map, and stuff
One of the great joys of working here at Esri is the opportunity to collaborate with amazing people....
5 months ago
One of the great joys of working here at Esri is the opportunity to collaborate with amazing people. Recently I had the opportunity to present at the User Conference about thematic mapping, with Sarah Bell and Kenneth Field. It was a lot of fun and we all surprised each other...
Map of the Week
Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
In response to last week's Black Atlantic post, a reader directed me to the Atlas of the...
11 months ago
In response to last week's Black Atlantic post, a reader directed me to the Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The Atlas has a companion site, Echoes: the SlaveVoyages Blog where you can browse through an impressive array of maps produced for the Atlas. Here are the major...
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