There was no Map of the Week last week. That is because I was on vacation in northern Italy with my wife and brother in law who provided some local knowledge and translation services. A typical vacation for me involves taking pictures of interesting maps I find along the way. There are at least a couple of blog posts worth of these maps. Here is a tapestry map (a mapestry?) I saw in the airport in Venice.   Often there is an interesting story behind the maps that is not obvious at first glance. Especially when the map is hanging on the way to the airport security line where one cannot linger for long. This tapestry was commissioned by the Italian Olympic Committee to hang in Casa Italia, the residence that hosted Italy’s athletes in Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Giovanni Bonotto, creative director of textile manufacturer Fabrica Lenta directed the project. It was woven on wooden mechanical shuttle looms dating from 1956. It The map showcases Italian innovators, architecture, industry, regional products and food. At the bottom left corner is a list of regional dishes. Artificial Intelligence was used to design the icons on the map. The entire tapestry is made from recycled plastic yarn as a tribute to the circular economy. Appropriately the map, showing Marco Polo now hangs in the Venice Marco Polo Airport.  You can see a video of Bonotto’s process here.

I found this tool six years ago and meant to post it but forgot until now. Fortunately it still works and is still pretty cool. You can click anywhere in the United States and trace the path of a raindrop to the ocean. I chose a random point northwest of White River City in western Colorado. River Runner is a tool from Sam Learner, a graphic journalist from the Financial Times. After it loads, you will get a fly through video tracing the raindrop's path. Here it is flowing down the Green River after passing through "Unnamed River" then Crooked Wash and then the White River. The red on the full USA map marks where you are at any given moment in the fly through. Here is the river as it approaches the Grand Canyon, and here it is in the agricultural landscape along the Arizona-California border. Unfortunately since this river goes into Mexico before flowing into the sea, the path is detained at the border (this is no longer true see update below). To see an example of a river's mouth here is the Mississippi flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Don't expect a precise level of detail. I clicked at my house and it picked a point about a mile away where the flow to the nearest river is a bit different from where I am. It also got the name of a nearby lake wrong. Go here to see your local journey. UPDATE: River Runner is now a global phenomenon! You can now cross borders and go anywhere!

Malin and Mizen is a company that makes specialty maps like the California Surf Map   I love the wavy lines and details showing ideal wind and swell directions, coordinates, shark sightings, etc. The hand drawn details on the land are also very nice.  The company is named for Malin and Mizen Head, the northernmost and southernmost points in Ireland. Here you can see North Malin from the Irish Surf Map.  They make maps for different sports, history and beer and wine. Here is part of the Irish Pub Map. The x indicates where hot food is available.  Here is some detail from the California Vineyard Map, the letters indicate grape types and the other symbols are for visiting and tasting information.  There are also many swimming and golf maps.  Other surf maps include Australia with its varied topography. Kangaroos and ostriches dot the land.  Finally, closer to home (for me) is New Jersey.

The United States Disappeared Tracker is a new Tableau visualization from Danielle Harlow. It shows where people have been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This map is part of a dashboard that “visualizes person brought into ICE custody when the trump Administration has demonstrated undeniable political motive/animus and/or the person has been denied appropriate due process, even if the charges are eventually substantiated in a court of law.“  Being a dashboard, there are also charts and lists of the disappeared.  You can also hover over the map for details on some of the incidents.  The data sources are not clear but 370 people just in Massachusetts? The author is also working on an ICE Flights Tracker.