Is there an application that will map all my friends?

November 5, 2009 7:34 AM

I'm looking for an online or freeware map application that allows me to chart where I know people across the globe. This would serve the same purpose as a paper map on the wall with pins in it but would have more flexibility (zoom-in, link to info about the place etc.) If, for example, I were planning a trip to Thailand, I could open the map app and see that I have a couple acquaintances there and where exactly they live.

Even better if it will link up with my address book and/or facebook and do some of the data input work for me.

posted by yankeh to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

Googlemaps lets you do the pin drop thing, and it's super easy.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:35 AM on November 5, 2009

But will google maps store hundreds of these pins long term? I want to be able to add someone I meet today and, in five years, when I have a vague recollection of knowing someone who lives in ______, be able to look it up.
posted by yankeh at 7:41 AM on November 5, 2009

But will google maps store hundreds of these pins long term?

Probably, but if they don't, you can make the map in Google Maps, export the data as KML, save it locally and view it in Google Earth or some other freeware package that supports KML.
posted by cog_nate at 7:52 AM on November 5, 2009

What about Frappr?
posted by willmize at 7:54 AM on November 5, 2009

Yeah, Google Earth, too--that's a good point. Personally, I wouldn't be worried about keeping the data with google maps; I have emails on gmail that are much older than that...
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:07 AM on November 5, 2009

But will google maps store hundreds of these pins long term?

Yes, that's what the My Maps tab in Google Maps is for.
posted by dmd at 8:39 AM on November 5, 2009

I just spent too much time looking at the yahoo pipes/YQL and the google contacts API. It would be feasible set this up, but the opentables.org setup for the Google Contacts API is work that needs to be done. The facebook table work has been done, it seems. From there, you just reverse geolocate the contact's address and feed the resulting KML file into google maps.

so, there isn't quick way to do this.. yet. but almost all the pieces are there.
posted by jrishel at 1:25 PM on November 5, 2009