Development Goals Discussed On Twitter

Global Pulse has released an impressive interactive presentation exploring how the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals are beingness discussed on social media.

In the twelvemonth 2000 the UN agreed to laid upwards 8 Millennium Development Goals. The 8 MDGs were meant to supply a framework from which to halve poverty but about the the world past times 2015. As that deadline approaches Global Pulse and the Millennium Campaign has released Unglobal Pulse, to explore how unlike countries convey been discussing topics related to these goals on Twitter.

This interactive visualization shows the 20 countries which convey proportionately tweeted the most almost each topic. The visualization includes a slap-up interactive globe. Select whatsoever of the topics inwards the globe sidebar too the globe spins to demo the 20 countries that convey tweeted the most almost the topic.


Unglobal Pulse too features a Google Map equally business office of the interactive visualization. The map provides a oestrus map stance of each of the MDG topics. If you lot lead a theme inwards the sidebar a oestrus map displays the intensity of the unwrap of Tweets made but about the theme inwards each province of the world. You tin too click on private countries to stance the unwrap of Tweets made inwards the province for each of the topics.

Zeit Online Drops Google Maps

Over the years High German paper Zeit has published some corking information visualizations using the Google Maps API. However  it has instantly followed the tendency fix past times many other digital publishers inwards moving away from Google Maps as well as towards using OpenStreetMap.

Zeit Online as well as Google Maps


IN 2011 Zeit Online used Google Maps to divulge the place information captured past times mobile phones. The map animated the movements of High German Green political party politician, Malte Spit on a Google Map, for a half dozen calendar month period. Verräterisches Handy was non entirely a corking map it also proved to live on i of the most effective articles inwards raising the awareness of mobile users to the place information captured past times their phones as well as past times the band companies.


In 2011, later the Japanese seismic sea wave as well as the resulting meltdown at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Zeit Online published a Google Map visualizing how many Americans alive nigh nuclear ability plants.

The American Nuclear Power Plants Map includes a distance slider tool that allows yous to visualize how many people alive within different distances of a nuclear ability plant. For example, the voluntary evacuation zone around the Fukushima ability found is eighteen miles. Using the Zeit-Online map nosotros uncovering that a full of 16,040,474 Americans alive inside eighteen miles of a nuclear plant.

In 2012 Zeit Online created a like map for its High German readers. The German Nuclear Power Plants Map shows how many people alive unopen to High German nuclear ability plants. This map also includes a distance slider tool that lets yous visualize how many Germans alive inside unlike distances of a nuclear ability plant.

Zeit Online as well as OpenStreetMap

Yesterday the MapBox Blog published a postal service on Zeit Online's switch to custom made OpenStreetMaps. The postal service is an interesting seek of the blueprint decisions Zeit Online has taken inwards their novel hold off interactive maps. These blueprint choices include the purpose of Zeit Online fonts for map labels as well as the lean purpose of map labels to brand infinite for information on information visualizations.


The MapBox postal service also includes links to a issue of examples of Zeit-Online's purpose of interactive maps. These include an interesting map showing how doctor’s offices are concentrated inwards affluent neighborhoods of High German cities, a map displaying the tracks of all hurricanes betwixt 2008 as well as 2013 as well as a map showing the UK's nuclear ability found structure plans.

The MapBox weblog postal service of class does non explicate the reasons behind Zeit Online's determination to drib the purpose of the Google Maps API for MapBox as well as OpenStreetMap. We tin hand the axe in all likelihood infer that the greater liberty inwards blueprint command offered past times OpenStreetMap contributed inwards some component to the newspaper's decision.

I've written before nearly how I yell back that Google has been really wearisome over the final ii years inwards developing the Google Maps API. I strongly believe that Google's recent concentration on Google Maps Engine as well as fail of the Google Maps API is causing map developers to switch to other mapping platforms.

Of class Google may non assist nearly this. Google Maps Engine generates income for Google as well as also agency that they cause got access to all the place information uploaded past times Google Maps Engine users.

Maps Of The Week

The Battle of Antietam was the showtime major battle inward the American Civil War to accept house on Union soil. It is the bloodiest single-day battle inward American history, resulting inward 22,717 dead, wounded, as well as missing on both sides combined.

The Civil War Trust's Battle of Antietam Animated Map is a lovingly produced video of the bloodiest solar daytime inward American history. The video includes re-enactment footage with a set out of animated maps that recount the attacks as well as counterattacks yesteryear both sides inward this bloody battle.


The site too includes a set out of interactive 360 aeroplane panoramic tours of or as well as thus of the of import battlefield locations. After watching the video map of the battle it is fascinating to hold out able to sentiment the 360 tours as well as piece of work a showtime mortal sentiment of the battlefield on the ground.


Trafficways is a wonderful collection of beautiful map layers on 1 OpenStreetMap map. The maps include visualizations of air flights, Flickr photos, the U.S. of A. census data, GPS lines & speed as well as a whole lot more.

The map too includes a set out of options that permit you lot to refine the appearance of the dissimilar map layers. The visualization options include brightness as well as gamma controls as well as options to suit the set out of dots used inward presenting the mapped data.


One of the around shared maps on social media this calendar week was Stephanie May's Rental Housing Affordability inward San Francisco. The map shows how many full-time minimum wage jobs you lot postulate to afford a 2 sleeping accommodation apartment inward each of San Francisco's neighborhoods.

Let's merely nation that if you lot desire a apartment inward Mission Bay you lot amend start applying for a few to a greater extent than jobs.

The Google Maps Of The Week

I practise dearest a skillful animate beingness tracking map, as well as then LifeWatch's plane tracking maps gibe the nib nicely. LifeWatch are currently tracking xxx gulls as well as march harriers using GPS units as well as CartoDB powered Google Maps. 

Unfortunately the alive real-time map is no longer of much operate every bit the birds convey flown S for the wintertime as well as are out of attain of the project's antennas. However LifeWatch has created or as well as then interesting maps using the information tracks from the saltation as well as summer.

These include an intensity map of Eric, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, breeding inwards the colony of Zeebrugge. The map shows Eric's movements over 2 months, revealing his most visited locations, including his frequent day-trips to Bruges. Using the same information LifeWatch every bit good created a map showing his paths for every day. In this map Eric's daily flying paths are colored past times twenty-four lx minutes catamenia to present how his flying blueprint changed over the 2 months.

Vizzuality's Torque library was every bit good used to practise a fascinating animated map showing all Eric's movements over the 2 months inwards but 150 seconds.


This calendar week Amtrak launched a real-time map of its to a greater extent than than 300 daily trains. The Amtrak Track a Train map shows the alive lay of all the network's trains.

Passengers tin attain the sack search for private trains past times develop divulge or develop advert or search for private station. If you lot direct a train's marking on the map you lot tin attain the sack stance details nearly its electrical flow speed, side past times side station as well as estimated fourth dimension or arrival.

Users tin attain the sack every bit good click on private stations to stance station details as well as the station address. 


One of the effects of the Federal Government Shutdown is that 800,000 federal workers convey been indefinitely furloughed without pay. The Washington Post has created a Google Map to present how the regime shutdown effects federal workers across the United States.

The Federal Government Shutdown Map shows the peak 100 tube areas amongst regime as well as armed services areas every bit a per centum of the full workforce. The map markers are sized inwards proportion to the size of the divulge of federal workers (as a per centum of full employment).

If you lot direct whatever of the markers on the map you lot tin attain the sack stance the full divulge of federal workers, the full divulge of the workforce as well as the per centum of federal employees inwards the selected tube area.

If you lot are a non-essential federal worker living inwards the Washington DC expanse you lot mightiness desire to cheque out this map that shows the locations of businesses offering exceptional deals for furloughed federal workers. 

London's Pollution On Google Maps

The London Air Quality Network provides information close air character inwards as well as approximately London.

The site includes a Google Map that allows Londoners to sentiment air character from monitoring stations positioned approximately the capital. The stations collect information on London's air character twice a solar daytime as well as the map is updated hourly.

The London Air Quality Network likewise includes a Google Map of the annual hateful pollution inwards London during 2008 as well as a map that shows which areas of London failed to come across the Great Britain government's Air Quality Strategy Objectives during 2012.

As good every bit the traditional Google Maps visualisations of air pollution London Air has a rattling cool 3d Map of Air Pollution inwards London. This 3d map seems to convey been approximately for a piece because it visualises air character inwards London inwards 2003, alongside predictions for the years 2004-10.

Google Static Maps Api Wizards

If you lot don't postulate a fully interactive slippy map you lot tin purpose the Google Static Maps API to embed a Google Maps ikon on your spider web page without requiring JavaScript or whatever dynamic page loading.

The API is fairly elementary to implement as well as creates a map based on URL parameters. The URL parameters tin live on quite long notwithstanding which tin Pb to some confusion. I've ever institute it easiest to purpose Google's Static Maps API Wizard when I postulate to create a static map. The sorcerer allows you lot to lead a location, the base of operations map type you lot require as well as define the size of your static map. It as well as therefore creates the URL for you lot to embed your static map.

Unfortunately the sorcerer isn't brilliantly designed. That's why you lot powerfulness desire to purpose Katy Decorah's novel Static Map Maker instead. The Static Map Maker likewise allows you lot to easily create a static map as well as generate the URL for a publish of dissimilar ikon formats. The sorcerer is a lot easier to purpose than Google's ain sorcerer as well as involves a lot less needless scrolling upwards as well as downwardly the page to stance the changes that you lot brand to your static map.

Both Google's ain sorcerer as well as the Static Map Maker both ignore the Styled Map options inward the Google Static Maps API. These options let you lot to lead which map features look on your static map as well as fifty-fifty let you lot to customize the colors of map features. There is soundless a picayune niche in that place for somebody to create a Static Maps Wizard that allows you lot to play around amongst map styles.

Street View likewise has its ain Static Street View Image API. H5N1 few years dorsum I created this really elementary Static Street View Wizard to generate the URL to embed a static Street View.

The Historic Menses Of Chicago's Buildings Mapped

Mapping the Age of Buildings for like maps of New York, Portland, Reykjavík, the whole of the Netherlands together with Ljubljana.