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Map of the Week
30 Day Map Challenge 2024-Part 2 Here is the second half of the 30 Day Map Challenge. The one where I don’t make anything but just...
2 weeks ago
13
2 weeks ago
Here is the second half of the 30 Day Map Challenge. The one where I don’t make anything but just sit back and enjoy the work of others. The first half of the month was reviewed here. I will start on Day 23 where the prompt was memory. There were quite a few good entries for this...
Map of the Week
Endangered Languages of New York City In January I did a series of posts on endangered languages. A few weeks ago the New York Times had...
9 months ago
49
9 months ago
In January I did a series of posts on endangered languages. A few weeks ago the New York Times had an excellent "scrollytelling" graphic story on these languages and where they are spoken within New York City. as you scroll down the page languages appear down Manhattan...
Maps Mania
Peering into the Heart of Darkness
a year ago
Maps Mania
The SpaceX Starlink Map
8 months ago
Maps Mania
The Carbon Bomb Map
a year ago
James Cheshire
The Scarred Landscape of the Climate Crisis I’ve been obsessively checking satellite imagery to witness the UK turn from green to yellow, thanks...
over a year ago
57
over a year ago
I’ve been obsessively checking satellite imagery to witness the UK turn from green to yellow, thanks to the period of extreme heat and lack of rain Europe has been enduring. The parched landscape is unlike anything I’ve seen before and a cloud free day today (10th August) has...
Maps Mania
The Future of Street View
7 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping 3D Game Worlds
a year ago
Maps Mania
The World's Most Impressive Mountain
a year ago
Maps Mania
Mythical Creatures of the World
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Self-Driving Car Simulation
11 months ago
Maps Mania
The Interactive Map of Ambridge
a month ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 2 (Oahu: Beyond Waikiki) I didn’t spend all of my limited time strictly within the confines of Waikiki Beach and downtown...
a year ago
44
a year ago
I didn’t spend all of my limited time strictly within the confines of Waikiki Beach and downtown Honolulu. Whether work-related or during precious spare time I did explore more of southeastern Oahu than I had on my previous trip. Unfortunately I couldn’t linger much and truly...
Maps Mania
Free Maps for All
3 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping the Barassi Line
a year ago
Adventures In...
How to make this map of a melting glacier I’ve been to Columbia Glacier, just west of Valdez, Alaska, three times. The first was as a...
a year ago
63
a year ago
I’ve been to Columbia Glacier, just west of Valdez, Alaska, three times. The first was as a youngster in 1984, the second in 1987, and the final time in 2000. Each time, the ride by boat to the terminal edge of the ice where it calves into Prince William Sound, took a bit longer....
Maps Mania
The True Size of Australia
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Free Map Data Grabbers
a month ago
Maps Mania
AI Street View Hallucinations
a year ago
Maps Mania
Rat-Town, Massachusetts
4 months ago
Transit Maps
Submission – New Official Map: “Harmonized” Montréal Metropolitan Transit Services Map, 2023 A flurry of people have submitted this brand new map out of Montréal for review, so let’s get...
a year ago
37
a year ago
A flurry of people have submitted this brand new map out of Montréal for review, so let’s get straight to it! First of all, it’s important to note that is part of a new suite of maps and wayfinding signage that’s been in development since 2018, Using Montréal’s iconic “black...
Adventures In...
Puget Sound 3D block diagram Here’s a map of the Puget Sound area that I made a couple years ago for presentations to folks in...
11 months ago
89
11 months ago
Here’s a map of the Puget Sound area that I made a couple years ago for presentations to folks in the US northwest. Recently I wanted to work some more at labeling in a 3D environment and found this to be a handy target. Additionally, I thought it would be fun to make more use …
Map of the Week
Huge Lego Model of the Lake District Artist Jon Tordoff has made a 100 square foot, 200,000 piece (so far) Lego model of England's Lake...
a year ago
19
a year ago
Artist Jon Tordoff has made a 100 square foot, 200,000 piece (so far) Lego model of England's Lake District. via Getty Images  The model began as a pandemic recreation map of Buttermere, his favorite spot.  "Now I've come over the Honister Pass, up Borrowdale and I've got...
Maps Mania
Pixel View
4 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
St. Mary’s (and Calvert), Maryland County counting becomes increasingly difficult as I continue my glacially slow progress. Now it...
a year ago
68
a year ago
County counting becomes increasingly difficult as I continue my glacially slow progress. Now it takes more than five hours to reach the closest unvisited county from my home. Fortunately I found a workaround by shifting my focus to overnight county visits. There are plenty of...
Maps Mania
The Best Price Comparison Maps
10 months ago
Maps Mania
Unlocking America’s Visual Time Machine
a year ago
Adventures In...
How to find (and style!) detailed water polygons for your map I often struggle to find high resolution polygons for things that tend to change, like water, urban,...
a year ago
45
a year ago
I often struggle to find high resolution polygons for things that tend to change, like water, urban, ice, whatever. Here’s how you can wrangle some up-to-date, detailed, water polygons for your small or medium scale maps (plus five different ways you can style them up)… Here’s...
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...
10 months ago
44
10 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...
Maps Mania
Bluesky Mapping
a month ago
Map of the Week
US Oil and Gas Pipelines Felt is a nice web mapping app that anyone can use to get a map and add your own data, mark it up...
a year ago
47
a year ago
Felt is a nice web mapping app that anyone can use to get a map and add your own data, mark it up and share with others. One of their most interesting example maps is this map of oil and gas pipelines.  Oil pipelines are in blue and natural gas is orange. I would have reversed...
Maps Mania
Inside the Maya Temples of Copan
2 months ago
Maps Mania
Where Might I Live?
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Olympic Medals Map
4 months ago
Maps Mania
Ephemeral Tweets
a year ago
Maps Mania
Have You Earned Your Air Pollution Stripes?
4 months ago
Maps Mania
The Catalan GeoGuessing Game
5 months ago
Maps Mania
Urban Planning in 3D
3 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Cumberland Parkway Time Zone Crossing Time Zone crossings in the United States generally happen at state borders which of course are...
12 months ago
70
12 months ago
Time Zone crossings in the United States generally happen at state borders which of course are easily recognizable landmarks. So you simply cross the state line and you change your watch. No big deal. Unfortunately Time Zones cut right through the middle of some states, like...
Maps Mania
The 2024 Submarine Cable Map
8 months ago
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
25
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...
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
33
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
Moon 2.0
2 days ago
Maps Mania
Europeans Profiting from American Deaths
5 months ago
Maps Mania
The Global Inflation Tracker
7 months ago
Maps Mania
2024 UK Election Maps
5 months ago
Maps Mania
Text Search for Street View
3 months ago
GeoCurrents
The Electoral Transformation of Wisconsin and Minnesota The neighboring states of Wisconsin and Minnesota are an instructive place to examine the recent...
a month ago
5
a month ago
The neighboring states of Wisconsin and Minnesota are an instructive place to examine the recent transformation of electoral geography in the United States. Both states saw a comparatively modest “red shift” from the presidential election of 2020 to that of 2024. In Wisconsin,...
Maps Mania
I'm Sending You Back to the Future!
4 weeks ago
Map of the Week
The Inequalities of Climate Change There was much talk, if not much action, at the recent COP27 conference about wealthier countries...
a year ago
18
a year ago
There was much talk, if not much action, at the recent COP27 conference about wealthier countries compensating poorer ones for the impacts of climate change. The poorer countries see the largest impacts, while contributing the least to the problem. This map illustrates the...
Maps Mania
The A-Z Music Map
2 months ago
Maps Mania
America's Disappearing Birds
11 months ago
Maps Mania
The Solar Eclipse Simulator
a year ago
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
23
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...
Map of the Week
The Black Atlantic This map was created by Léopold Lambert to emphasize centrality of the Atlantic Ocean to the slave...
10 months ago
27
10 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...
Maps Mania
Virtual Rewind Machines
9 months ago
Maps Mania
Map Race
a year ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 6 (South Korea: Seoul) I didn’t get much time to wander around Seoul like I did in Tokyo. Every day was a work day and it...
a year ago
87
a year ago
I didn’t get much time to wander around Seoul like I did in Tokyo. Every day was a work day and it was a brief stop. So I was confined mostly to what I could see from the windshield as we drove through the city or from the hotel. However, this was my first trip […] The post...
Maps Mania
The Map of National Animals
a year ago
Map of the Week
Planning for the Next Eclipse Maybe you saw Monday's eclipse and were impressed enough to want to travel to see another one or...
8 months ago
51
8 months ago
Maybe you saw Monday's eclipse and were impressed enough to want to travel to see another one or maybe you missed it because life got in the way or you couldn't justify the time and expense of travel. Or, maybe you're like me and foolishly traveled to Rochester, New York where...
Maps Mania
How Smooth is the Earth?
3 months ago
Maps Mania
2023 Spanish Election
a year ago
Maps Mania
Segregation in the U.S.
7 months ago
Adventures In...
Blend Mode Helper Blend modes can be a complex thing to wrap one’s head around. Experimentation is the best teacher,...
a year ago
44
a year ago
Blend modes can be a complex thing to wrap one’s head around. Experimentation is the best teacher, but even then there are lots of variabilities involved, depending on the layer you use to experiment. The Blend Mode Helper Map (and its constituent Blend Mode Helper layer) reduces...
Musings on Maps
Gaza, Again–and Again The Gaza Strip’s spatiality continues to puzzle and fascinate–as much as the pressing question of...
a year ago
94
a year ago
The Gaza Strip’s spatiality continues to puzzle and fascinate–as much as the pressing question of its sovereignty. The two are of course intertwined, and the boundaries of Gaza are historically defined. The perimeter around the Gaza Strip was in a … Continue reading →
Maps Mania
The Unknown Pleasures of Population Density
a year ago
Maps Mania
The European Cycle Map
a month ago
Maps Mania
Th Bird Migration Atlas
2 weeks ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Detour to Ashtabula About two and a half years ago I planned to capture three unvisited counties at the far northeastern...
6 months ago
74
6 months ago
About two and a half years ago I planned to capture three unvisited counties at the far northeastern corner of Ohio. Unfortunately it didn’t happen due to a snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow on the target area. So instead I changed my plans and focused on Michigan’s...
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
29
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 New Acadian Heritage Room On my recent trip to Nova Scotia, I stumbled upon the grand opening of the New Acadian Heritage Room...
a year ago
15
a year ago
On my recent trip to Nova Scotia, I stumbled upon the grand opening of the New Acadian Heritage Room at the O’Dell House Museum in Annapolis Royal. I had not known anything about it, but was in the right place on the right day. The room is primarily a collection of maps from the...
Transit Maps
Submission – Official Map: Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Map at Bergenline Avenue Station Submitted by Kara, who says: At the (extremely cool) Bergenline Avenue station, [my partner and I]...
a year ago
32
a year ago
Submitted by Kara, who says: At the (extremely cool) Bergenline Avenue station, [my partner and I] stumbled across this official map that I’d never seen before, depicting both the HBLR and the PATH! It was actually all over that station, and it’s definitely a relatively old map,...
Maps Mania
Wildfires & Smoke Pollution
a year ago
Map of the Week
The Real World Costs of Bitcoin This is from April but at last week’s NACIS conference I saw Zach Levitt speak about making these...
a year ago
67
a year ago
This is from April but at last week’s NACIS conference I saw Zach Levitt speak about making these graphics for the New York Times. The story details how in the midst of a winter storm that left tens or thousands without power, bitcoin mines in the state kept running, until the...
Maps Mania
The Daily Explorer
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Reconstructing a Plane Crash
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Terraforming the Metaverse
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Global Birdspotting Map
a year ago
Maps Mania
A Year of Wildfire in Europe
a year ago
GeoCurrents
Lectures on Psychoactive Substances Available on YouTube Dear Readers, I have now posted all 21 video lectures of the GeoCurrents series on the Historical...
3 months ago
4
3 months ago
Dear Readers, I have now posted all 21 video lectures of the GeoCurrents series on the Historical Geography of Natural Psychoactive Substances, which can be found here. Each lecture is illustrated with maps, diagrams, photographs, and so on. Most are roughly one hour in length....
Transit Maps
Submission – Official Map: Tram and Busways of Casablanca, Morocco, 2024 Submitted by Leo, who says: On September 24, the Casablanca tramway network nearly doubled in length...
2 months ago
42
2 months ago
Submitted by Leo, who says: On September 24, the Casablanca tramway network nearly doubled in length with the opening of T3 and T4. The Casatramway network, operated by RATP, is depicted in the new map alongside the Casabusway BRT lines currently under construction. The map...
Maps Mania
Exploring London Through the Artist's Eye
4 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Inland Northwest, Day 7 (Abrupt End) What should have been a ten day trip ended unexpectedly on the seventh day. The previous evening our...
2 months ago
31
2 months ago
What should have been a ten day trip ended unexpectedly on the seventh day. The previous evening our kid who was watching the house called to tell us about our soaking wet basement carpet. Our ancient boiler was leaking. So we immediately contacted our insurance provider, a water...
Maps Mania
1000+ Streets Called Washington
5 months ago
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...
5 months ago
59
5 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)...
somethingaboutmaps
A Free eBook of Terrain Lines Friends, earlier this week I mentioned that I’d completed a whole bunch of terrain sketches using...
a month ago
29
a month ago
Friends, earlier this week I mentioned that I’d completed a whole bunch of terrain sketches using some novel techniques that allowed me to create a hachure drawing style from digital elevation data. If you’d like to see the whole set, I’ve now assembled them into a quick eBook...
Maps Mania
Dressing Miku
a month ago
Maps Mania
Canada's Hidden Subterranean Rivers
8 months ago
somethingaboutmaps
Take the 2024 Freelance Mapper Survey Friends and colleagues, it’s time once again for the survey that Aly Ollivierre and I conduct every...
9 months ago
97
9 months ago
Friends and colleagues, it’s time once again for the survey that Aly Ollivierre and I conduct every two years. We ask people who do freelance mapping work about their fees and other business practices, in order to help bring more transparency to our little niche of the world, and...
Maps Mania
The Supply Chain of Deforestation
9 months ago
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....
4 months ago
49
4 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...
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...
4 days ago
6
4 days 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
Create an AI Poster for Your Location
3 months ago
Transit Maps
Submission – Unofficial Map: Brussels S-Train by Elliot H Submitted by Elliot, who says: I’ve come across this blog a couple of months ago, and have been...
a year ago
37
a year ago
Submitted by Elliot, who says: I’ve come across this blog a couple of months ago, and have been lurking ever since. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at designing a trasit diagram, and having gotten some free time, I decided to redesign the S-Train diagram for Brussels. So here...
Maps Mania
The Origin of Country Names
a year ago
Maps Mania
When is the Coldest Day of the Year?
11 months ago
Maps Mania
The Same Size As
a year ago
Maps Mania
Mapping the Amazon Underworld
a year ago
Maps Mania
Find Your Future Climate Zone
6 months ago
Maps Mania
Is Light Pollution Getting Better?
a year ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 8 (Completing the Circuit) Too soon the Costa Rica adventure approached its end and it was time to wrap things up with a final...
a year ago
12
a year ago
Too soon the Costa Rica adventure approached its end and it was time to wrap things up with a final few activities. The route involved the usual complexities, driving down the mountain from Monteverde and heading towards the airport outside of San José. We also took a little...
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
49
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...
Historical Topo Map Explorer (beta) The USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer is getting an update, and you can try out this new beta...
a year ago
61
a year ago
The USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer is getting an update, and you can try out this new beta version, here: LivingAtlas.ArcGIS.com/TopoMapExplorer The United States Geological Survey has a rich history of creating exquisite topographic quadrangle maps. These topo 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
59
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
Nicknames of the States Here's a strange one: An 1884 promotional map for a company that manufactured hog rings (like nose...
7 months ago
59
7 months ago
Here's a strange one: An 1884 promotional map for a company that manufactured hog rings (like nose rings for hogs, you can read more about those here, if you can stomach a little animal cruelty).  Each state is shown with a representative ring-wearing hog. Complete with a...
Maps Mania
Your Perfect Weather Map
a year 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
21
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...
Maps Mania
Cities Need Trees
9 months ago
Map of the Week
Middle Earth Transit Map Hard to believe that those dumb hobbits risked their lives walking all the way to Mordor when they...
7 months ago
87
7 months ago
Hard to believe that those dumb hobbits risked their lives walking all the way to Mordor when they could have just taken the Orange Line.  Oh wait, the tunnel under the mountain is closed  so they would have had to switch to the Red Line at Bree and then made another...
Maps Mania
The Kessler Syndrome
a year ago
Maps Mania
Cryptic Cross World
a month ago
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...
2 months ago
26
2 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...
GeoCurrents
Will the United States Recognize Somaliland as Somalia Continued to Devolve? Recent reports claim that the incoming Trump administration is considering giving diplomatic...
2 days ago
16
2 days ago
Recent reports claim that the incoming Trump administration is considering giving diplomatic recognition to Somaliland, a de facto independent state that broke away from the wreckage of Somalia in 1991. Republican representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania has already introduced...
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...
4 months ago
56
4 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...
Maps Mania
Tracking Russia's 'Dark' Shadow Ships
3 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Great American Beer Festival (and More) I hinted at ulterior motives in the last article about my long weekend in Denver. I didn’t travel...
a month ago
28
a month ago
I hinted at ulterior motives in the last article about my long weekend in Denver. I didn’t travel all the way out there just to casually tour around. Indeed, I had a very specific purpose in mind — checking off a bucket list item in fact — attending the Great American Beer...
Maps Mania
Spikkin Scots
8 months ago
Maps Mania
The Taco Bell Interstate Map
yesterday
Maps Mania
Virtual Indian Independence Day
4 months ago
Map of the Week
Suginami Walking Tours Suginami is a ward on the west side of Tokyo. The Experience Suginami web page features a series of...
a year ago
29
a year ago
Suginami is a ward on the west side of Tokyo. The Experience Suginami web page features a series of walks and tours with some nice maps.  The Historical Walk shows not only the shrines and gardens of the neighborhood, but also shows where you can get ramen and "healthy" soy...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Osage Orange It seemed strange to fixate on a single tree for more than a decade but that’s exactly what...
3 weeks ago
20
3 weeks 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...
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
41
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...
Maps Mania
Do You Live in 15 Minute City?
a week ago
Adventures In...
5 Minutes to Make a Map! We’ve all been there. A request comes in and you don’t have a lot of time. Like 5 or 10 minutes....
10 months ago
69
10 months ago
We’ve all been there. A request comes in and you don’t have a lot of time. Like 5 or 10 minutes. What! Ok, ok, be cool, this is going to be ok. Just breathe…and think. Think. Yes, we’ve got this. We’ve got the tools and the resources to crank out a serviceable map in the amount …
Map of the Week
Humpback Whale Migration The Arctic University of Norway leads the Whaletrack program to map Humpback and Killer Whale...
a year ago
27
a year ago
The Arctic University of Norway leads the Whaletrack program to map Humpback and Killer Whale migrations.  Whales are tracked as they travel thousands of miles from the Barents Sea in the Arctic where they feed to winter breeding breeding grounds in the Caribbean Sea. The map...
Maps Mania
The AI Music Map
8 months ago
Maps Mania
The History of Latin America
a year ago
Maps Mania
AI Map Search
a year ago
Maps Mania
30 Days of Crashes in New York City
5 months ago
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
69
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...
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
51
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...
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
30
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....
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
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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...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Inland Northwest, Day 4 (Lewis & Clark Country) We were now officially between races. A day earlier I ran a half-marathon in Pendleton, Oregon and I...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
We were now officially between races. A day earlier I ran a half-marathon in Pendleton, Oregon and I had to do it again in Clarkston, Washington the following day. So this was the rest day, or at least it was for me. Most participants in the Mainly Marathons Northwest series...
Maps Mania
The Mapped History of the London Tube
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Secret Life of Bridges
7 months ago
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
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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,...
Maps Mania
Welcome to the Metaverse
a month ago
Maps Mania
Cinematic Mapping
a year ago
GeoCurrents
Changing Correlations Between Income and Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections, 2016-2020 In 2009, Andrew Gelman published a fascinating and informative book called Red State Blue State Rich...
2 months ago
4
2 months ago
In 2009, Andrew Gelman published a fascinating and informative book called Red State Blue State Rich State Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do. Gelman’s main thesis was nicely summarized by Leo Carey in The New Yorker: “Andrew Gelman persuasively argues that the poor...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Southern Heat, Part 4 (Bug Loop) Sure, the southern United States has more than its fair share of pesky bugs that most people...
a year ago
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a year ago
Sure, the southern United States has more than its fair share of pesky bugs that most people actively avoid. Mosquitos, horseflies, and palmetto bugs probably top that list. So it probably sounds strange that we devoted an entire day to insects, particularly to the appreciation...
Maps Mania
Man Made Star Signs
7 months ago
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...
10 months ago
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10 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...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 2 (Jurassic Coast) We were firmly based in Swanage after the long day of travel and ready to explore our new...
5 months ago
58
5 months ago
We were firmly based in Swanage after the long day of travel and ready to explore our new surroundings. However, we were still pretty tired so we stuck close to home and made it an easy day. Swanage sits near the eastern end of the 96 mile (154 km) Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World...
Adventures In...
How to make a “peeled edge” area of interest effect Sure, everyone loves a good raised area-of-interest effect. But what about a peeled edge area of...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Sure, everyone loves a good raised area-of-interest effect. But what about a peeled edge area of interest? It’s a snazzy trick and maybe just the sort of flair that your map needs! And it’s simpler than maybe you’d guess. To give your area of interest a peeled edge effect, you...
Maps Mania
How Families Live Around the World.
a year ago
Maps Mania
One Million Screenshots. One Map!
4 months ago
Maps Mania
The Treats of San Francisco
6 months ago
Maps Mania
Haxagen World
7 months ago
Maps Mania
Real-Time Radiation Maps
4 months ago
Maps Mania
AI Amazon Mining Watch
11 months ago
Maps Mania
The Interactive Pathfinding Map
a year ago
Map of the Week
The Lost Subways of North America A new book by Jake Berman, The Lost Subways of North America explores the history of unbuilt and...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
A new book by Jake Berman, The Lost Subways of North America explores the history of unbuilt and discontinued transit in 23 cities in the United States and Canada. Mexico is not included because "Mexico's urban history is so unlike that of the United States and Canada."  Cities...
Maps Mania
Attacks on the Press Map 2023
9 months ago
Maps Mania
The Distressed Communities of America
9 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
54
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...
Maps Mania
The Sad State of Local News 2023
10 months ago
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
65
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...
Transit Maps
Book Review: “Iconic Transit Maps” by Mark Ovenden, 2024 After 2003’s Metro Maps of the World and 2015’s Transit Maps of the World (our review here), this is...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
After 2003’s Metro Maps of the World and 2015’s Transit Maps of the World (our review here), this is Mark Ovenden’s third offering on the subject of global transit maps and diagrams. The question to be asked, then, is simply – is a new book on the same subject worth it? In a...
Maps Mania
The Islamic State Attack Map
8 months ago
Maps Mania
The Global Problem of Forever Chemicals
a year ago
Maps Mania
Mapping the Oct 7 Hamas Attacks
a year ago
Maps Mania
How Long Will You Live?
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Sea Trade Monitor
9 months ago
Adventures In...
In a Slump, But Not Forever
a year ago
Map of the Week
The Film Industry's Nine Dash Line Problem This summer's hit movie Barbie has been banned in Vietnam for its portrayal of the Nine Dash Line on...
a year ago
8
a year ago
This summer's hit movie Barbie has been banned in Vietnam for its portrayal of the Nine Dash Line on a world map. Note: I have not (yet) seen any of the movies or shows listed below. This line represents China's claims in the South China Sea. These claims have been rejected by...
Maps Mania
America is a Jigsaw
a year ago
Maps Mania
The World's Most Controversial Interactive Map
10 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Dayton, Ohio Part 2 (Take a Walk) Dayton is decently sized place with about 130,000 residents in the city proper and about 800,000 in...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
Dayton is decently sized place with about 130,000 residents in the city proper and about 800,000 in the larger metropolitan area. So that makes it large enough for some attractions and urban amenities, but nobody would mistake it for a city that never sleeps. I figured I might...
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
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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...
Map of the Week
The Spread of Slavery in the United States In September, 1861 the U.S. Coast Survey published this large map showing the enslaved population by...
a year ago
22
a year ago
In September, 1861 the U.S. Coast Survey published this large map showing the enslaved population by county. It was "sold for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army." The image above is from an article in Smithsonian. Here is a detailed view showing part...
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....
4 months ago
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4 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...
Maps Mania
The 10 Day Fall Color Forecast
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Geotastic Daily Challenge
2 months ago
somethingaboutmaps
Leopard Map Disassembly Friends, it’s been a long while since I last wrote up a walkthrough of one of my mapping projects....
a year ago
51
a year ago
Friends, it’s been a long while since I last wrote up a walkthrough of one of my mapping projects. So, today, let’s break down a piece that I made earlier this year for Scientific American magazine. This is actually the first of three pieces that I’ve made for Scientific American...
Transit Maps
Submission – Official Map: Greater Copenhagen Rail Map, 2024 Submitted by Jakob, who says: The M4 branch extension to Copenhagen South has just opened, and with...
4 months ago
52
4 months ago
Submitted by Jakob, who says: The M4 branch extension to Copenhagen South has just opened, and with it, a much improved map compared to 2019 [My review of the 2019 map can be found here – Cam]. The Circle Line is now more spacious, junctions are labeled more clearly, and metro...
Maps Mania
How Near do You Live to a Mass Shooting?
a year ago
Map of the Week
The 2022 Hurricane Season While I was busy obsessing over my 30 Day Map Challenge in November, CNN put out this map in a...
over a year ago
14
over a year ago
While I was busy obsessing over my 30 Day Map Challenge in November, CNN put out this map in a summary of the 2022 hurricane season. It's interesting to see all the hurricane tracks on one map. While the season started out slowly, it finished with several memorable storms...
Maps Mania
The World in Hong Kong
a year ago
Maps Mania
Geotripper - the Traveling Salesman Game
2 weeks ago
Maps Mania
The Live Music Mapping Project
a year ago
Musings on Maps
Fifteen Two-Hundred Pound Bombs Dropping at least fifteen two hundred pound bombs equipped with precision guidance systems–bunker...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Dropping at least fifteen two hundred pound bombs equipped with precision guidance systems–bunker busters that could penetrate deep underground and flatten built structures–that killed Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and much of his high command follows a terrifying explosion of...
Maps Mania
The Newest Maps of Mars - in 3D
6 months ago
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
12
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...
Maps Mania
Finding Your Coordinate Twins
2 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 5 (Japan: Farther Afield) Monday arrived and I had to get back to work. A weekend in Tokyo was nice although I had other plans...
a year ago
43
a year ago
Monday arrived and I had to get back to work. A weekend in Tokyo was nice although I had other plans and that involved getting out of the city. After all, the whole premise for this trip was visiting U.S. military facilities USS Blue Ridge The 7th Fleet of the United States Navy...
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...
a month ago
32
a month 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
France Defeats the Far-Right
5 months ago
Maps Mania
Historical Sanborn Maps of America
a year ago
Maps Mania
Quiz Around the World
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Historical Movie Map
a year ago
Maps Mania
Mapping Conflicts Around the World
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Lifetime Net Elevation Scores
3 weeks ago
Maps Mania
Car Commutes are Getting Longer
10 months ago
Maps Mania
The Presidential Medal of Cartography
4 months ago
Maps Mania
How big are London, New York & Tokyo?
a year ago
Map of the Week
Ice Flows in Greenland The Atlas of the Invisible was published a few years ago. The maps show trends in the earth’s...
a week ago
14
a week ago
The Atlas of the Invisible was published a few years ago. The maps show trends in the earth’s climate and demographics that are largely hidden to the naked eye. I never got a chance to review it but was recently struck by this visualization. A detailed description of the...
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 week ago
20
a week 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...
Maps Mania
Wednesday Night is Game Night
a year ago
Maps Mania
Indian Election Maps
6 months ago
Maps Mania
The Streets of San Francisco Game
a year ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Dayton, Ohio Part 6 (Breweries) It’s the eternal question. Should I lump all of the brewery visits into a single article or should I...
8 months ago
61
8 months ago
It’s the eternal question. Should I lump all of the brewery visits into a single article or should I spread them within the series? Well, as always, it depends. This time I decided to discuss them all at once because of a simple fact of geography. We visited eight breweries...
Maps Mania
The 2023 Polish Election
a year ago
Maps Mania
US Car Fatality Hotspots
a year ago
GeoCurrents
Wikipedia’s Visually Striking but Inaccurate Cartograms of U.S. Presidential Elections When preparing the illustrations for my current lecture course on the historical geography of U.S....
a month ago
5
a month ago
When preparing the illustrations for my current lecture course on the historical geography of U.S. presidential elections, I was thrilled to discover that Wikipedia’s articles on most of these elections are illustrated with visually striking cartograms of the results, mapped at...
Maps Mania
Some More Maps of Sounds
6 months ago
Maps Mania
The EJAtlas: A Map for Environmental Justice
3 months ago
Maps Mania
Mappy Races
10 months ago
Maps Mania
A Year of CO2
10 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Kaiserslautern I hope to stay longer than 72 hours the next time I visit Germany. I don’t recommend such a short...
7 months ago
82
7 months ago
I hope to stay longer than 72 hours the next time I visit Germany. I don’t recommend such a short visit. However I went there for work as I do occasionally, and I had no choice. So that’s what I did. I landed in Frankfurt on Monday, drove down to Kaiserslautern, stayed through...
Maps Mania
The Chain Restaurants of America
10 months ago
Maps Mania
Finding Shade from the City Heat
a year ago
somethingaboutmaps
Automated Hachuring in QGIS I seem to have accidentally come up with a method for duplicating a centuries-old terrain...
5 months ago
75
5 months ago
I seem to have accidentally come up with a method for duplicating a centuries-old terrain representation technique. If you’ve looked at old maps, you’ve probably seen hachures: lines that run up and down along the slope of terrain features. There were a wide variety of approaches...
Maps Mania
The Royal Parks of London
a year ago
Maps Mania
Can You Draw America?
7 months ago
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
32
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
Mapping Power Outages in Kiev
4 months ago
Maps Mania
Using the Overpass API with Leaflet
10 months ago
Maps Mania
Reconstructing the Ancient Trade Routes
11 months 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...
7 months ago
84
7 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...
Maps Mania
One Hour AI Map Challenge
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Active Video
7 months ago
Maps Mania
Cinematic 3D Space Simulations
a year 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
23
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,...
Maps Mania
Racial Covenants in Santa Clara Properties
2 months ago
Maps Mania
GeoClash
a year ago
Musings on Maps
Security Walls: “This is Just the Beginning” Attending New Year’s service in an Oxford Orthodox synagogue, I paused when the ritual prayer book I...
a year ago
69
a year ago
Attending New Year’s service in an Oxford Orthodox synagogue, I paused when the ritual prayer book I held–a Machzor-moved smoothly from prayers to George VI (it was an old one) to prayers for the Israel Defense Forces. The rabbi, who … Continue reading →
Maps Mania
Local Explorer
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping Water Scarcity
a year ago
Maps Mania
Mapping the Drift-backing of Refugees
11 months ago
Maps Mania
The Book Banning Map of America
3 months ago
Maps Mania
It's War on the Streets of Paris
7 months ago
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...
5 months ago
67
5 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
The Ghosts of London
a month ago
Maps Mania
The Rise & Fall of the Irish Railway
a year ago
Maps Mania
Highly Artificial Locations
8 months ago
Maps Mania
The Bellingcat Open Source Challenge
2 weeks ago
Maps Mania
Assassination Simulation
a year ago
Musings on Maps
A Global Landscape of Growing Glacial Loss With frozen glaciers disappearing into the oceans at an unprecedented rate, the rise of an...
a year ago
39
a year ago
With frozen glaciers disappearing into the oceans at an unprecedented rate, the rise of an ecotourism of glacier viewing is hardly unexpected. But the rise of new heights of glacial melt that are feared for much of the arctic this … Continue reading →
somethingaboutmaps
2024 Freelance Rate Survey Results Thank you once again to everyone who participated in this year’s survey of freelance cartographer...
2 months ago
38
2 months ago
Thank you once again to everyone who participated in this year’s survey of freelance cartographer rates and business practices! Our apologies for the delay in posting the results; life has been busy for both Aly and myself. Before we get to the survey results, here are some handy...
Maps Mania
Mapping the Growth of America
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Classic Map Arcade
10 months ago
GeoCurrents
U.S. Presidential Election Lecture Series Completed The GeoCurrents lecture series on the historical geography of U.S. presidential elections has been...
a week ago
12
a week ago
The GeoCurrents lecture series on the historical geography of U.S. presidential elections has been completed. The series itself can be found here. The final lecture, which covers only the election of 2024, can be found here. The next GeoCurrents lecture series will be on global...
Maps Mania
Alternatives to Google Maps Street View
a year ago
Maps Mania
Scrambled Hex Maps
a month 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
39
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
Hidden Hydrology In my day job I've mapped buried streams to give an indication of areas that are most likely to...
a year ago
15
a year ago
In my day job I've mapped buried streams to give an indication of areas that are most likely to flood in major storms. It turns out that buried streams in older urban centers is common everywhere. Hidden Hydrology is a great resource for exploring disappeared waterways throughout...
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...
a month ago
24
a month 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...
Maps Mania
Mapping Oil Exports to North Korea
a year ago
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
18
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
The National Stereotypes Map
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Night Train to Europe
a year ago
Maps Mania
Kreuzberg, San Francisco
11 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 1 (Oahu: Honolulu Waterfront) Most of my work trips are pretty mundane. The last three were rather typical — Philadelphia, Tampa...
a year ago
44
a year ago
Most of my work trips are pretty mundane. The last three were rather typical — Philadelphia, Tampa and Atlanta — for example. Sometimes I go to more interesting places like my quick jaunt to Germany a few years ago. However, this time I hit the jackpot: Hawaii, Japan, and South...
Map of the Week
Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA Coming out this summer from Belt Publishing (publishers of the "50 Maps" book series on Cleveland,...
7 months ago
62
7 months ago
Coming out this summer from Belt Publishing (publishers of the "50 Maps" book series on Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo) is the Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA.   "Ferguson, Missouri, became the epicenter of America’s racial tensions after the 2014 murder of Michael Brown and the...
Maps Mania
North America's Shrinking Railways
2 weeks ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Southern Heat, Part 2 (Atlanta Revisited) I ventured into familiar territory as we started the trip, back to the same eastside of Atlanta that...
a year ago
15
a year ago
I ventured into familiar territory as we started the trip, back to the same eastside of Atlanta that I’d explored just four months prior. That wasn’t a coincidence. I enjoyed the area so much that I wanted the whole family to experience it too. So it made perfect sense to fly...
Maps Mania
The Riskiest Places to Live in America
5 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Graduated It seemed like just yesterday that Twelve Mile Circle chronicled the kid who designed an imaginary...
7 months ago
90
7 months ago
It seemed like just yesterday that Twelve Mile Circle chronicled the kid who designed an imaginary town and counted various forms of transportation. Now my elementary aged student is all grown up, a newly-minted university graduate. Those interceding years passed much more...
Maps Mania
The First Images from EUMETSAT MTG-I1
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Best Graphics Team in the World
4 months ago
Maps Mania
The AI Satlas
a year ago
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...
2 months ago
22
2 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....
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...
2 months ago
40
2 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...
Cartography Workshop in Utrecht, April 2024 I’m going to be in the Netherlands April 23, 2024, to spend a day nerding out on map making. I’ll be...
11 months ago
66
11 months ago
I’m going to be in the Netherlands April 23, 2024, to spend a day nerding out on map making. I’ll be a guest of Esri Netherlands, and will lead this workshop day, called “Mapping Magic with John Nelson” (no pressure). It’s a kickoff to their Esri Connect 2024 event. Here’s a...
Map of the Week
Heat Islands of Philadelphia Program Note: This month is Philadelphia month! Don't get too excited.  In the past I've done San...
a year ago
18
a year ago
Program Note: This month is Philadelphia month! Don't get too excited.  In the past I've done San Francisco Week and New Jersey Week. Much of that content was posted to Twitter. These things happen when I suddenly find a trove of information about a specific place. In this case...
Maps Mania
Aurorasaurus
a year ago
Map of the Week
Maps of Julian Hoffman Anton I'm always excited to find new cartographic artists. Here are some maps from Julian Hoffman Anton....
a year ago
45
a year ago
I'm always excited to find new cartographic artists. Here are some maps from Julian Hoffman Anton. The first one is his Tokyo Eat Map. I've cropped the map a bit to fit the format of this page. To see it all click here. This is really a heat map showing restaurant density. Egg...
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Lines of the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway, 1927 Here’s a fascinating map of streetcar lines in Omaha, Nebraska in 1927, beautifully hand drawn on...
a year ago
60
a year ago
Here’s a fascinating map of streetcar lines in Omaha, Nebraska in 1927, beautifully hand drawn on top of a pre-printed single colour map of the area produced by the City’s engineering department. Not only does the map show the extent of all the streetcar lines (with 64.6 miles of...
Map of the Week
Turkey and Syria Earthquake Response Parts of Turkey and Syria have been devastated by the strongest, most destructive earthquake in the...
a year ago
20
a year ago
Parts of Turkey and Syria have been devastated by the strongest, most destructive earthquake in the recorded history of those countries. The earthquake has been followed by over a hundred powerful aftershocks, including one almost as powerful as the original magnitude 7.8...
Maps Mania
Mapping Russian Military Facilities in Crimea
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Car Free Cities Atlas
5 months ago
Transit Maps
Historical Maps: Private Railways and Extra-urban Tramways of Italy, 1936 I stumbled across this atlas of maps the other day and had to share. A few sample pages are below –...
a year ago
61
a year ago
I stumbled across this atlas of maps the other day and had to share. A few sample pages are below – head to the originating website to view all 20 of them. Enjoy! Source: Stagniweb.it
Maps Mania
Open Places Map
2 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Dayton, Ohio Part 1 (The Wright Stuff) When people have asked, I’ve told them with a straight face that we didn’t go to Daytona for Spring...
8 months ago
75
8 months ago
When people have asked, I’ve told them with a straight face that we didn’t go to Daytona for Spring Break, no, we went to Dayton. As in Ohio. As in probably the least likely Spring Break destination in the United States. We managed to avoid warm weather, sandy beaches, and...
Maps Mania
Drowning in Plastic
3 weeks ago
Maps Mania
Styling with Bard
10 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 5 (Isle of Purbeck) Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck isn’t an island it’s a peninsula. It was probably more isolated and...
5 months ago
60
5 months ago
Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck isn’t an island it’s a peninsula. It was probably more isolated and difficult to reach in previous centuries. So maybe it felt like an island to people back when the English Channel was the primary “road” to the outside world. Even now it’s a...
Maps Mania
Mapping the Census
6 months ago
Maps Mania
Every Basketball Court on Google Maps
3 months ago
Maps Mania
The Indoor CO2 Map
4 months ago
Maps Mania
Star-Gazing Hotels
a year ago
Maps Mania
The New Medieval Map of London
6 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping the Underground Art Scene
3 weeks ago
Maps Mania
Standing on Top of the World
a year ago
somethingaboutmaps
The Projection Collection Returns About a year ago, I released The Projection Collection, a set of 77 trading cards based on map...
a year ago
35
a year ago
About a year ago, I released The Projection Collection, a set of 77 trading cards based on map projections. Each card features a unique map produced by one of 65 different cartographers. While my colleagues and I did our best to let everyone know about these cards, some people...
Map of the Week
Pittsburgh Week This week I am attending the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) meeting in...
a year ago
45
a year ago
This week I am attending the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) meeting in Pittsburgh so I haven't had time for a proper blog post. There's lots of great stuff here that may make for future blog posts but in the meantime here are a few random maps I've come...
Map of the Week
Terrain Representations from the Atlas of Design In last week’s post I reviewed Volume 7 of the Atlas of Design. As an occasional cartographer I have...
2 months ago
30
2 months ago
In last week’s post I reviewed Volume 7 of the Atlas of Design. As an occasional cartographer I have been interested in how topography is represented in maps for a long time. This atlas volume provides many contrasting examples. From the “cartographic realism” of Tom Patterson’s...
Maps Mania
There are 2,773 stories in the Naked City
9 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Southern Heat, Part 6 (Houston) The heat really cranked up as we entered Texas, never dropping below a daily high of 100° Fahrenheit...
a year ago
44
a year ago
The heat really cranked up as we entered Texas, never dropping below a daily high of 100° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius). Here my hybrid working vacation transitioned completely to pure work for a day. That’s where I needed to attend meetings at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston...
Maps Mania
Shilling for Putin
a year ago
Adventures In...
How to add mist to terrain in ArcGIS Online There are lots of reasons to cloak your terrain in a fluffy ephemeral layer of mist. It gives an...
a year ago
45
a year ago
There are lots of reasons to cloak your terrain in a fluffy ephemeral layer of mist. It gives an overall sense of the slope and elevation trends in your view, it showcases meandering river valleys in a charming realism, hilltops peak through with clarity and drama…and it just...
Maps Mania
The National Stereotypes Maps - Part Two
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Spookiest Places in the USA
a year ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 1 (Intentions and Observations) This was supposed to be the younger kid’s trip. It was his turn to select a destination — anywhere...
a year ago
22
a year ago
This was supposed to be the younger kid’s trip. It was his turn to select a destination — anywhere in the world — as a present for his upcoming high school graduation next year. The older one chose Australia back in 2018 and we expanded it to include New Zealand too. England...
Maps Mania
Tree Maps of the World
a year ago
Adventures In...
The Geoholics Podcast I got to join The Geoholics podcast this week and had a fun conversation with Kent Groh, Ryan Kelly,...
a year ago
46
a year ago
I got to join The Geoholics podcast this week and had a fun conversation with Kent Groh, Ryan Kelly, and Nik Smilovsky Here is a link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0sHBwsGyfAoZE3ra5RaeVB?si=f1f3bdf9ab3b4695 Here’s the episode’s description: Raised by two...
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
42
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...
Maps Mania
Mapping the Big Map Index
6 months ago
Maps Mania
The World's Bioregions & Ecosystems Mapped
a year ago