Adventures In...
The Bounding Box Podcast
The one where I chat with Rene Rubalcava about the importance of unstructured data-play, the risk of...
a year ago
The one where I chat with Rene Rubalcava about the importance of unstructured data-play, the risk of metrics becoming the goal, where to find inspiration, brewing chaos into professional development, and loving our neighbors!
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
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,...
Musings on Maps
Maps and Metaphors
The war around Gaza is not for territory, but rather for the destruction of the presence of a terror...
10 months ago
The war around Gaza is not for territory, but rather for the destruction of the presence of a terror network that has entrenched its power base deep underground. In many case, deeper than thought. While Israel has been pretty clear about … Continue reading →
Maps Mania
The Book Banning Map of America
3 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...
3 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...
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
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
The American Election & the Rest of the World
2 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
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...
Maps Mania
540 Million Years of Planet Earth
7 months ago
somethingaboutmaps
Conventional Cartographic Wisdom that I have Failed to Grasp
When I teach cartography, I am deliberate about not presenting my students with any rules. I do not...
a year ago
When I teach cartography, I am deliberate about not presenting my students with any rules. I do not want obedience to memorized maxims — instead, I simply tell them about practices that I think are good ideas, and then I offer an explanation of my reasoning. The students can...
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...
6 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
How to Make Your Own Map Jigsaw Puzzle
4 months ago
Map of the Week
30 Day Map Challenge 2023 Days 3 9
Here’s what I’ve been working on for the past week’s 30 Day Map Challenges with the prompts...
a year ago
Here’s what I’ve been working on for the past week’s 30 Day Map Challenges with the prompts listed.
Day 3 - Polygons
This is not exactly a hand made map, more having fun with cutting boards. My wife gave me the Pennsylvania board a few years ago and I used it in the 2021...
Maps Mania
The Unknown Pleasures of Population Density
a year ago
Transit Maps
Project: My UTA Rail and BRT Design Exploration
I teased this in yesterday’s review of the new official UTA diagram, so here’s my exploration of a...
a year ago
I teased this in yesterday’s review of the new official UTA diagram, so here’s my exploration of a few design ideas for an alternative version. As always with this type of project, I look for ways to approach the design problems for the diagram that are intentionally different to...
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...
6 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....
Adventures In...
Women in GIS Workshop
If you aren’t doing anything else on the allotted 2.5 hours of January 24, 2025, then consider...
3 days ago
If you aren’t doing anything else on the allotted 2.5 hours of January 24, 2025, then consider tuning in to this Women in GIS workshop where I’ll share the process (and all the data and documents) for making this migration map. The cost is free, unless you count the 2.5 hours of...
Map of the Week
Summer Light Reading 2024
Here is another installment of what is becoming an annual summer tradition. Just like the light...
4 months ago
Here is another installment of what is becoming an annual summer tradition. Just like the light beach reading, here is some light map reading. Not much to comment about, just some maps and related items I like.
First of all since the Olympics are in Paris, a nice papercut map you...
Map of the Week
Tyne River Shipbuilders
While researching something unrelated, I came across this series of maps showing ship builders and...
a year ago
While researching something unrelated, I came across this series of maps showing ship builders and related industries on the River Tyne in and near Newcastle, UK.
The maps, from 1972, stretch from the mouth of the river (above) to the City of Newcastle upon Tyne,
and westward...
Maps Mania
Create an AI Poster for Your Location
3 months ago
Maps Mania
Tory Candidates Violently Attacked
5 months ago
James Cheshire
Anxiety and Mapping the Climate Crisis
Many of the maps I have created in recent years address the climate crisis and I’ve been asked a...
over a year ago
Many of the maps I have created in recent years address the climate crisis and I’ve been asked a number of times about if I feel powerless in the face of the data I’m showing. I reflect on this here with Kit Rackley. Our chat also in part inspired this article in The...
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
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
Geotripper - the Traveling Salesman Game
2 weeks ago
Maps Mania
Trains, Balloons and Automobiles
5 months ago
Map of the Week
The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood
This latest New York Times interactive map shows how people who live closer in to city centers have...
over a year ago
This latest New York Times interactive map shows how people who live closer in to city centers have a relatively small carbon footprint, while those who live further out have some of the largest footprints in the nation.
While that may not be surprising by itself there are some...
Maps Mania
Divorced, Befriended, Married or Died
a year ago
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
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...
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
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
2½ Half Weeks with Mrs Rauer
11 months ago
Maps Mania
Who Deserves a Monument Anyway?
9 months ago
Map of the Week
Thirty Day Map Challenge 2023-Days 24-30
The final installment of this year’s 30 Day Map Challenge.
Day 24 - Black and White
I had no...
a year ago
The final installment of this year’s 30 Day Map Challenge.
Day 24 - Black and White
I had no thoughts ahead of time on this one. I wanted to do something with raster data and the easy, quick thing (this often requires taking the easy and quick route) was to grab the Natural...
Maps Mania
Alien Arrivals Nosedive in 2023!
10 months ago
Map of the Week
Stolen Native American Remains
In 1990 the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was passed by the U.S. Congress...
a year ago
In 1990 the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was passed by the U.S. Congress to gave indigenous peoples a way to reclaim their dead. 33 years later about half of the remains have yet to be returned. Pro Publica produced a piece with excellent interactive...
Maps Mania
The World's Most Controversial Interactive Map
10 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
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
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
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...
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...
9 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...
Map of the Week
Bad News For Local News
Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative released the latest State of Local News. It...
a month 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...
Musings on Maps
Swing States, Battleground States and Hot Spots
Are the maps of President Trump's 2024 electoral evidence of a sudden shift or deep undercurrents of...
a month ago
Are the maps of President Trump's 2024 electoral evidence of a sudden shift or deep undercurrents of disaffection? The sudden partisan shift of voting maps suggest a dark undercurrents in American politics. Continue reading →
Maps Mania
Live 2 Years Longer with Better Air Quality
a year ago
Map of the Week
The Alphabet Railway
Radio personality Bill Barry was fascinated with the place names of his native Saskatchewan. So much...
a year ago
Radio personality Bill Barry was fascinated with the place names of his native Saskatchewan. So much so that he wrote a Dictionary of Saskatchewan Place Names, I'm sure you've probably read it already but an interesting item about this toponymy is how many of the towns were...
Map of the Week
Make the Desert Bloom
Tomas Pueyo has an idea to help combat global warming and rising seas. His idea is to create new...
a year ago
Tomas Pueyo has an idea to help combat global warming and rising seas. His idea is to create new seas by flooding several below sea level basins, such as the Dead Sea or Death Valley with seawater to create or enlarge inland seas. Here is an image from his Substack pages showing...
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
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 …
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Union Pacific Annual Report Map, 1980
Here’s an absolutely cracking diagrammatic map that appeared as a fold-out sheet in Union Pacific...
4 months ago
Here’s an absolutely cracking diagrammatic map that appeared as a fold-out sheet in Union Pacific annual reports from about 1978 through 1981, maybe slightly longer. I first saw this as a photograph of a partial part of the map, but it didn’t take me too long to find the whole...
somethingaboutmaps
Getting Local: A Map Disassembly
Though it’s only been a couple of months since the last time I did a map breakdown, I feel like it’s...
a year ago
Though it’s only been a couple of months since the last time I did a map breakdown, I feel like it’s time for another. While my own instincts are to avoid repetition, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my YouTube-watching habits, it’s that a creator can put out a regular...
Maps Mania
The Easter Bunny's Egg-cellent Adventure
8 months ago
Adventures In...
How to Make this Animated Map of Blue Whale Migration
I have a deep admiration for the stirrings inside animals that drive them to undertake...
a year ago
I have a deep admiration for the stirrings inside animals that drive them to undertake thousands-of-miles journeys to far flung locations, and back, in concert with the passage of the our earth around its sun. I’ve reflected on it in writing what became a surprisingly...
Map of the Week
Harry Beck's Famous Subway Map Goes Airborne
This map was published a month ago in the Londonist. Just about every other map blog has already...
a year ago
This map was published a month ago in the Londonist. Just about every other map blog has already picked up on it and I am late to the game. However, I've spent so much time looking at it that I think it's worth a visit even if you've already seen it. It was drawn by Harry Beck,...
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...
4 days 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...
Map of the Week
Nova Scotia Map Mural
I’m in Nova Scotia this week in places with poor internet so I was not planning on posting anything....
a year ago
I’m in Nova Scotia this week in places with poor internet so I was not planning on posting anything. Then I saw this fantastic mural on the side of a building in Annapolis Royal so I just had to share it. Enjoy!
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Southern Heat, Part 5 (Mississippi Gulf)
Next we returned to familiar territory. I’ve mentioned the Mississippi Gulf Coast many times on...
a year ago
Next we returned to familiar territory. I’ve mentioned the Mississippi Gulf Coast many times on Twelve Mile Circle because I go there fairly regularly and I have a lot of family there. However, my last trip was way back in 2019 and only for a long weekend. Somehow I never figured...
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...
3 weeks 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 →
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 3 (Exploring La Fortuna)
The second full day in La Fortuna promised abundant showers although not continuously. It was the...
a year ago
The second full day in La Fortuna promised abundant showers although not continuously. It was the rainy season after all and it rains, and people deal with it. Frankly, the bright sunshine of the previous day was a fluke. So we understood all of this ahead of time and we devised...
Maps Mania
Crowdsourcing Neighborhood Borders
3 months ago
Map of the Week
Protein Survey Map
While looking for unrelated items I came across this 1920's Protein Survey Map of Western...
a year ago
While looking for unrelated items I came across this 1920's Protein Survey Map of Western Canada.
Wondering what any of this means, I did some research and discovered that protein refers to the gluten content of wheat. In the early 1900's flour mills began classifying their...
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
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 2nd 1 Hour AI Map Challenge
11 months ago
James Cheshire
Newspapers and the 1976 Drought
With each new temperature record that tumbles the UK, climate skeptics have a standard stock phrase:...
over a year ago
With each new temperature record that tumbles the UK, climate skeptics have a standard stock phrase: ‘it was this hot in 1976’. Of course it wasn’t, and crucially the planet overall was not as hot then as it is now. Parts of the UK media have had their part to play in fueling...
Maps Mania
America's Disappearing Birds
11 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
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...
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
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...
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...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Dayton, Ohio Part 5 (Venturing West)
My second day of county counting focused west of Dayton, once again targeting five new counties....
8 months ago
My second day of county counting focused west of Dayton, once again targeting five new counties. This time I planned to capture Butler and Darke counties in Ohio; and Union, Fayette, and Randolph counties in Indiana. Hopefully this excursion would also take about three hours like...
Maps Mania
30 Days of Crashes in New York City
5 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
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...
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....
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
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...
Maps Mania
Mapping the History of the Railway
9 months ago
Maps Mania
⅓ of Rafah’s Buildings Destroyed
8 months ago
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
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
Travel Times in the Roman & British Empires
3 weeks 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...
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...
4 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
Mapping Russian Military Facilities in Crimea
a year ago
Maps Mania
The Street Names of Budapest
10 months 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
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....
Map of the Week
Emancipation National Historic Trail
It took over two years for the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Galveston, Texas. Specifically...
6 months ago
It took over two years for the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Galveston, Texas. Specifically June 19, 1965 hence the Juneteenth holiday. Galveston was the largest slave market west of New Orleans. The newly emancipated fled Galveston to Freedmen's Town and other parts of...
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
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...
somethingaboutmaps
Projection Connections: A Very Nerdy Poster
Friends, I’m excited to offer to you a new poster. Not a map this time around, but something...
over a year ago
Friends, I’m excited to offer to you a new poster. Not a map this time around, but something map-related. A 16 × 24-inch tangled web showing how 100+ different map projections are all related to each other: Projections are a niche topic even among cartographers, so I don’t...
Map of the Week
The Whataburger Power Outage Map
When Hurricane Beryl struck Texas last week it left nearly 2 million Houston area residents and...
5 months ago
When Hurricane Beryl struck Texas last week it left nearly 2 million Houston area residents and businesses without power. Local power company Center Point Energy's online power outage map has been unavailable since May. Social media user BBQBryan noted that Texas based...
Maps Mania
How Well Do You Know New York's Subway?
a year ago
Map of the Week
A Few Nice Eclipse Maps-Part 1
In a month a total eclipse will make its way across North America. On April 8th the path will travel...
9 months ago
In a month a total eclipse will make its way across North America. On April 8th the path will travel quickly, (under two hours) from Mazatlán on Mexico's Pacific coast to Newfoundland, Canada and then into the Atlantic Ocean. There are some really nice visualizations of the...
Maps Mania
The Worldwide Breaking News Map
6 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
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...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 7 (South Korea: The DMZ)
The Korean War never actually ended. Rather, it froze in place at an armistice line on July 27,...
a year ago
The Korean War never actually ended. Rather, it froze in place at an armistice line on July 27, 1953. So there’s a multi-decade ceasefire, a truce, but no agreed-upon resolution of hostilities. A four kilometre wide Demilitarized Zone acts as a buffer between North and South...
Maps Mania
The Best Graphics Team in the World
4 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
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
Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA
Coming out this summer from Belt Publishing (publishers of the "50 Maps" book series on Cleveland,...
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...
Adventures In...
Vintage Retro Old-School 1890s Basemap for ArcGIS Pro
Here’s how to stack up some tile layers and blend them up to concoct a basemap that wouldn’t look...
4 months ago
Here’s how to stack up some tile layers and blend them up to concoct a basemap that wouldn’t look out of place in 1890. Except that you wouldn’t have anywhere to plug in your monitor so it would be hard to show it to people back then. Ok bring a small generator. Wait, all these …
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
Spreading Love & Peace in Nutopia
7 months ago
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...
Maps Mania
1000+ Streets Called Washington
5 months ago
Maps Mania
Tracking Russia's 'Dark' Shadow Ships
3 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Cicada Chase, Day 2
The first day of cicada chasing exceeded expectations and we hoped for similar results on the...
6 months ago
The first day of cicada chasing exceeded expectations and we hoped for similar results on the second. However the weather began to change overnight with downpours possible during daylight hours. Local meteorologists predicted a line of thunderstorms rolling through the Midwest,...
Maps Mania
Mapping Oil and Gas Emissions
10 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping Gaza's Destroyed Buildings
10 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 4 (Brew Day)
We hadn’t visited any breweries in the first several days but that was about to change. It turns out...
a year ago
We hadn’t visited any breweries in the first several days but that was about to change. It turns out Costa Rica has a fairly lively craft brewery scene and we were moving into an area rich with them. Several fell within our direct path between La Fortuna and Tamarindo and that...
Maps Mania
Alternatives to Google Maps Street View
a year ago
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...
a week 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...
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...
Maps Mania
The World Air Quality Report 2023
9 months ago
Transit Maps
New Official Map: San Francisco Muni Metro Map with Central Subway
This map has actually been out for a while, but today – celebrating the full opening of the Central...
a year ago
This map has actually been out for a while, but today – celebrating the full opening of the Central Subway – seemed like the appropriate day to post about it. Design-wise, this is very much an evolution of previous efforts (see my review of the post-COVID resumption of service...
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
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...
Map of the Week
The Incredible Shrinking Great Salt Lake(s)
NOTE: due to accidental deletions on this platform I have lost some of the original attributions for...
a year ago
NOTE: due to accidental deletions on this platform I have lost some of the original attributions for this post.
Here is a map of the paleo-lakes of the Great Basin from the Pleistocene Era.
The present day lakes are shown in lighter blue though even those have shrunk from the...
Maps Mania
Using the Overpass API with Leaflet
10 months ago
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Costa Rica, Part 6 (Beyond the Beach)
My flirtation with idleness ended. I simply couldn’t sit around Tamarindo another day doing nothing...
a year ago
My flirtation with idleness ended. I simply couldn’t sit around Tamarindo another day doing nothing or I’d grow increasingly frustrated. So the relaxation was fine for awhile but now I needed to find something else to do. Surfing lessons didn’t seem like a thing for me but plenty...
Transit Maps
Submission – Official Map: Long Island Rail Road Screen Maps at Grand Central Madison
Submitted by Griffin, who says: I work upstairs in the old Grand Central and was every excited to...
a year ago
Submitted by Griffin, who says: I work upstairs in the old Grand Central and was every excited to check out the new station this morning. Spotted this new map on the wall down there, thought you might find it interesting. Transit Maps says: Oh, I do like this. Graphically strong...
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
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...
Map of the Week
The Coaquannock Map
I will begin Philadelphia month at an early stage, just before European settlement.
via...
a year ago
I will begin Philadelphia month at an early stage, just before European settlement.
via Historical Society of Pennsylvania
This 1934 map showing the homeland of the Lenape people when the first white settlers arrived in Philadelphia, was funded by the Works Progress...
Maps Mania
Battles of World War II & American Wars
5 months 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...
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,...
3 weeks 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...
Map of the Week
Buffalo in 50 Maps
New from Belt Publishing - the third book of their "50 Maps" series, Buffalo in 50 Maps is now out....
a year ago
New from Belt Publishing - the third book of their "50 Maps" series, Buffalo in 50 Maps is now out. Previous books on Cleveland and Detroit have been briefly covered on previous blog posts. The author, cartographer Victoria Johnson-Dahl was kind enough to send me an advance copy...
Twelve Mile Circle –...
England, Day 10 (More Typical London)
Unlike the previous day, we focused our final full London day on places more regularly associated...
4 months ago
Unlike the previous day, we focused our final full London day on places more regularly associated with typical tourists. Sometimes we do that. Occasionally I displayed my normal geo-oddity proclivities but mostly it was about cramming as much as possible into the hours before...
Maps Mania
Inside the Maya Temples of Copan
2 months ago
Maps Mania
Mapping the Spread of War in the Middle East
10 months ago
Maps Mania
The Presidential Medal of Cartography
4 months ago
Map of the Week
The Liverpool Overhead Railway
I found this cool strip map of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, the first elevated electric railway...
a year ago
I found this cool strip map of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, the first elevated electric railway in the world. It opened in 1893 and was dismantled in 1957 because the company could not afford to make the necessary repairs. This map is dated "c1938".
via Flickr
According...
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,...
Maps Mania
Today's Global Heating Forecast
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...
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...
Maps Mania
OpenStreetMap Edits in Real Time
10 months ago
Adventures In...
John Snow’s Cholera Map Reimagined
John Snow’s map of the 1854 London cholera outbreak was revolutionary in that it clearly drew a...
a year ago
John Snow’s map of the 1854 London cholera outbreak was revolutionary in that it clearly drew a visual connection between deaths and the locations of well pumps. It helped contribute to the idea that cholera was a water-borne disease and effectively marks the creation of the...
Maps Mania
The EJAtlas: A Map for Environmental Justice
3 months 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
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...
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
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...
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,...
Maps Mania
The Stunning Beauty of Air Traffic Data
8 months ago
Maps Mania
Guess This City - Daily Challenge
7 months ago
Maps Mania
Car Commutes are Getting Longer
10 months ago
Maps Mania
The Interactive Turbulence Map
11 months ago
Map of the Week
Soprano Land
The Sopranos is having a bit of a moment with the recent HBO documentary about David Chase....
3 months ago
The Sopranos is having a bit of a moment with the recent HBO documentary about David Chase. Illustrator Robert Sikoryak made a nice map to orient fans to the New Jersey landscape of the show.
You can click above to see a larger version. I've only watched bits of the show so I...
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
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...
Maps Mania
The 2024 World Press Freedom Rankings
7 months ago
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
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...
Map of the Week
Algal Blooming Across the World
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center produced a video showing the increase in harmful algal blooms...
4 months ago
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center produced a video showing the increase in harmful algal blooms over the last 50 years.
If the above video does not load try clicking here. This version ends by opening the globe into a world map to show everywhere at once. There is another...
Maps Mania
The Best Price Comparison Maps
10 months ago
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...
a month 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
Exploring London Through the Artist's Eye
4 months ago
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
Tacografical Maps
International Taco Day is coming up on Sunday, March 31st - not to be confused with National Taco...
8 months ago
International Taco Day is coming up on Sunday, March 31st - not to be confused with National Taco Day in October. Here are a few maps to enjoy your tacos by. This one I've seen in several taquerias. It took a long time to find a version that is readable online (you may need to...
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
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...
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
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...
Maps Mania
The National Stereotypes Maps - Part Two
a year ago
Transit Maps
Submission – Official Map: GoBus Ohio, 2024
Submitted by Leo, who says: The state-supported GoBus system in Ohio has a somewhat strange route...
4 months ago
Submitted by Leo, who says: The state-supported GoBus system in Ohio has a somewhat strange route scheme (e.g. no direct route from Columbus to Cleveland, or Columbus to Cincinnati via Dayton) but their map, despite being overall fairly poor, makes some interesting stylistic...
Maps Mania
Have You Earned Your Air Pollution Stripes?
4 months ago
Maps Mania
One Million Screenshots. One Map!
4 months ago
Maps Mania
245 Russian Military Targets at Risk
3 months ago
Maps Mania
The Right-Wing Terrorism Map
10 months 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
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...
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