Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with maps and googlemaps

Mapping accident statistics

lrivers — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:13:06 -0800

Cartography/Google Maps: I want to represent severity of accident data on a map to show the most dangerous parts of town to walk/bicycle. I have the raw data, but I can’t seen to show the info in a compelling way. I think a heatmap might be the way to go, but the resources I found on the web didn't really pan out.

Here's a sample from the large data set (3 years worth)
Address City State Date Severity type victim lattitude longitude
1000 Wells Branch Austin TX 1/1/2007 2 MC ROR 30.432663 -97.652927
14300 I 35 N SB Svc Rd Austin TX 1/2/2007 2 MV MC 30.433723 -97.670259
Spicewood Springs & Mesa Austin TX 1/2/2007 1 MV BI 30.383473 -97.771104
1800 Houston Austin TX 1/3/2007 2 MV BI 30.328691 -97.739302
3200 Davis Austin TX 1/4/2007 2 MV BI 30.192833 -97.836974
400 7th E Austin TX 1/4/2007 3 MV PED 30.268062 -97.73886
10200 Brownie Austin TX 1/4/2007 2 MV PED 30.367016 -97.684888
Congress & Lessin Austin TX 1/5/2007 4 MV PED 30.22589 -97.762299
Medical & 37th Austin TX 1/5/2007 2 MV PED 30.30459 -97.744539

Severity ranges from 1 to 4 where 1 is no injury to 4 is fatality, so the latter should show "stronger"

Is there a way to query a Google map and have it look up a database and display a message?

friedbeef — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:59:29 -0800

Is there a way to query a Google map and have it look up a database and display a message? I provide a service within a certain area. On my website, I have a Google map, and a JPG file associated with a KML which illustrates an area where my service is provided.

I want to make it so when customers search in the map, and is within my serviceable area, I want something to pop up and say "we can serve you". If not, it takes them to another page.

Is this possible?

Driving Time Google Map Mash Up?

John Frum — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:16:31 -0800

Does a Google Maps (or other mapping service) mash-up exist that will show me the driving time to various places in a heat map type format? So basically what TripTop does for the NYC subway system, but for driving instead? I'm in the St. Louis area. So, what I'm envisioning is a Google Map that would show me that in 4 hours I could drive to Kansas City, Memphis, Indianapolis, and Louisville. In less than 6 hours I could drive to Madison, Cincinnati, Little Rock, and Tulsa. Something like UPS does for shipping times, but on a driving scale. This would be a great tool for planning weekend getaways.

Map apps for the iPhone

pearl228 — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:16:48 -0800

I'd like to create a map on the iPhone that displays multiple locations of my choice at once. Ideally, I'd like to also be able to route a path through them in advance. In essence, I am looking for something like Community Walk or Wayfaring in app format. I live in NYC, and swear by Google Maps on the iPhone for navigation.

But there are times when one needs to map multiple destinations at once to plan an efficient path through them. As many would likely agree, it can be a complete PITA to look up all of them individually, when they're only organized by order added, and only display 1-2 at a time.

In addition, pulling up a wayfaring or CW page is far too slow to be practical in some parts of the city w/o a 3G.

I've tried searching the app store, but will keep an open mind if I've missed a gem.

Thanks!

How can I combine multiple Google Maps into one "master" map?

hypocritical ross — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:31:23 -0800

Is it possible to display data plotted on multiple Google maps on one single map? I have several (about 25) Google maps with about 20 or so points plotted on each. The maps cover several geographically adjoining areas. Is there any automatic process I can use to combine these separate maps into one larger one?

Assume for the sake of the question that mapping all of the points on one single map is impossible..

Mapping geoareas

grrarrgh00 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:41:06 -0800

What's the best (quickest, most functional, most maintainable) way to put a collection of geoareas into an interactive map without the assistance of a programmer? Come January, I'm leading the construction of a website covering growth and development issues in a small-ish city (pop. 100k). I need a way to display proposed/pending/completed development projects on interactive maps (Google maps, ideally).

I'm a programming dilettante, but I don't think I have enough time or skill to get up to speed on the Google Maps API (especially for rendering polygons). I'd love to do this properly, with code and a database, but given the time frame and the fact that the maps are only one component of the site, I don't think I can.

My hunch at the moment is to draw the maps by hand with Google's My Maps or Google Earth. There are a few drawbacks with this approach; for example, infobubbles on maps embedded from My Maps can be wider than the iframe, which is annoying. Mostly, I want to make sure I'm not overlooking better solutions as I embark on this.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Is there a free (cheap) KML editor for the Mac?

brokekid — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:45:53 -0800

Is there a free (cheap) KML editor, like NorthGates' KML Editor or KaMeLwriter, for the Mac? I haven't had much luck finding one, extMate doesn't do the job and running either of these in Parallels would kill my machine. Thanks for your help.

Print A3 Google Maps?

mary8nne — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:49:56 -0800

How can I quickly and easily print an A3 sized Google map? I have a pretty large monitor so I can use the Print Screen to get a good sized A4 Map that is relatively zoomed in. But I would really like to be able to print out A3 sized maps of a suitable zoom level for travelling around Cities. And ideally it would include the sightseeing destinations i've added to my 'My Maps'.

Obviously I could printscreen on 4 maps and then manually stich them together - but thats a bit annoying to do. Is there another easy way to do it?

a webpage that accesses the extra google maps?

Looking for songs describing mappable journeys

rongorongo — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:13:25 -0800

I am looking for songs that describe a mappable journey (ideally together with the map). For example here is a map of the destinations mentioned in "Route 66" and here is the wild journey described at the end of Tom Waits' "Don't Go into that Barn!".

I want to project the Ordinance Survey Grid (UK) on Google Maps.

munchbunch — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:11:46 -0800

I want to project the Ordinance Survey Grid (UK) on Google Maps. This site which to have a KML file that might do that (it's 9 on the list), but I have no idea how to get it to work. I downloaded the file, but it doesn't seem to do anything. I say I down oaded it, I've also clicked on it a few times mindlessly too - and this has not worked either. Any ideas? Would welcome alternate solutions to my main problem, not just the minor KML issue.

What is this location I spotted from Google maps?

soulbarn — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:17:37 -0800

Does anyone know what this facility is (google satellite image, Action, California.) It looks like a nursery, or something similar, but I'm trying to get more specifics for a hiking guide I'm working on (without taking the long, long drive out there.)

leave Wayfaring for what?

intermod — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:00:56 -0800

Help me find a Google Maps mashup to replace Wayfaring (for personal use). I set up a Wayfaring account about a year ago and started entering in all the places I'd been in the world.

Today I realized that one of my places had been marked (by me) in the wrong place on the map. But when I tried to move it I couldn't figure out how. Then I couldn't find any help docs whatsoever in Wayfaring. Then some Googling led me to find out that Wayfaring seems to have been somewhat abandoned, both by the developers and the public.

I have no clue what's out there to do this now. I've heard of Platial and Google's own My Maps, and I have no idea what the differences are. Can you provide some guidance on the pros and cons of these? I just want to mark the places I've been, and perhaps create a timeline showing WHEN I've been there, where I've lived and how long, etc.

Most importantly, I want the joint to still be around in 2 years ...

FYI, I'm a little leery of any Google service that requires that I get a GMail account.

Maps vs. GPS - Choosing High Tech or Low Tech Travel

Dreama — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:02:02 -0800

Roadtrip technology. Which would you prefer, high-tech solutions (web-enabled phone/Palm, laptop, GPS) or low-tech solutions (maps, AAA Triptiks, GoogleMaps printouts) or some combination? I'm embarking on a bit of a road trip soon, and I'm trying to come to a conclusion about technology and what I want to schlep along and whether or not it's worthwhile to pay the premium for in-car GPS to the rental agency and so forth. I'm a map nerd, and the more detail the better, and I love having a paper map that I can take into a diner and pour over as I drink some coffee. On the other hand, I'm also a tech nerd, and the idea of a GPS that can say "Turn right in 50 yards" gives peace of mind, but I fear a situation in which a GPS put a friend in the parking lot of a KMart when they were aiming for the (easy to find) Pittsburgh airport.

If you were driving across four states through major metropolitan areas and making a variety of stops in unfamiliar places, what directional technology would you use? How would you combine options to have the best coverage and least opportunity for hair-rending moments of "where in blue blazes am I?!?!?!"

Dynamic Mapping

mr_crash_davis — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:49:21 -0800

Coding a custom Google Maps or MS VirtualEarth project for a 501(c)(3) charity web site. The CIO of the non-profit for which I work would like to have a Google Map of North America (or MS Virtual Earth, either is OK) displayed on our site. The site is a public-facing Sharepoint 2007 site.

He would like to have a list where the user could select one (or more) sponsor(s) from a list of our corporate sponsors, and the sponsor's store locations would pop up on the map. For the sake of argument let's say the user selects Sears and Burger King, the map would populate with all Sears and Burger King locations in the U.S. and Canada.

The sponsor list is around 100 corporations, with anywhere from a few dozen locations each to as many as several thousand.

The tables we would be drawing the locations from are in an MSSQL 2005 database. The tables contain sponsor name, store number, address, city, state, country, postal code, and may contain latitude/longitude shortly (depends on how well another project comes off).

1) Is this possible?
2) How long might it take?
3) What might something like this cost us?

Where do they get all those wonderful data?

jxpx777 — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:07:16 -0800

WhereTheHellDoTheyGetAllThatData Filter: When someone wants to start a site that requires huge amounts of data like IMDB or Pandora or Last.FM, where do they get the data? I can't really see that they take the time to find all the data sources and compile and link it all together into a database format. There has to be some place where they get the data. Another example is a mapping site like Mapquest or Google Maps. I know Google has more money than God or whatever, but where does such a huge amount of data come from?

Then, the side note, is how the hell do they go about processing it or relating it all together to produce a product like Pandora?

I am interested in this partly from a pure curiosity standpoint and partly from an IfIEverWantedToDoSomethingSimilar standpoint.

Is there a GIS + Google Maps website?

blacklite — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:46:42 -0800

Is there a website that lets you show GIS data (i.e. standard geographical data from various sources) on Google Maps? I thought I had seen something like this referenced in a MetaFilter post, or here, but I can't find it anywhere. Help, o wise people.

Looking for website to view custom Google Map by tags

mullacc — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 13:03:05 -0800

GoogleMapFilter: I'm looking for a Google Maps application/website that will allow me to create custom maps with location markers and then let me view those markers by tags. I've been using Wayfaring, which allows me to create multiple custom maps, add location markers and tag those markers. But, it doesn't seem to let me view my own maps filtered by the tags. I can search by tag, but only to see other users' markers. I checked the Wayfaring forums and another user has suggested this functionality, but it has yet to be implemented.

Here's an example of what I want to do: make a custom map called "Food Map" in which I will create markers for various restaurants and food stores. Then I want to view my map by tags, e.g., show only those markers tagged as "Mexican" or "Mexican+new" or "grocery+organic", etc.

Anyone know of a website that would allow me to do this? Unfortunately, I don't have the skills or patience to create it myself with Google Maps' developer tools, so DIY solutions are out.

What's within a five hour drive of my home city if I can drive in any direction?

eirelander — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 07:58:55 -0800

Is there a google maps hack that will draw a circle around a given location to show a radius of distance (by mileage or time) around that location? What I want is a rough idea of where I could get if I drove for 5 hours in any direction around my home city - ideally represented by a colorful graphic overlay.

You see this a lot in college viewbooks, etc -- radii of distance around the town so people know approximately how long it will take them to drive there. For example, concentric rings representing 5, 10, 15 hours.

Google Maps, Driving directions to multiple locations

nitsuj — Tue, 30 May 2006 13:18:43 -0800

How can I create driving directions in Google Maps to multiple locations at once? For instance, I would like Google Maps to give me driving directions from, say, Springfield, MO to St. Louis, MO to Nashville, TN.

Google Maps seems to break after the 2nd "to" and will only give me directions from Springfield to St. Louis, or St. Louis to Nashville - is there any way to combine this into one map query?

There are a lot of 3rd party sites that will do this "as the crow flies" but I'm looking for something that utilizes the driving directions (ie: follows roads).

Thanks!

How do I map-out my world travels using Google Maps?

bamassippi — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 08:18:00 -0800

How do I map-out my world travels using Google Maps? I would like to show my friends and family where I've been using a connect the dots with lines from location to location using Google Maps.

What is a good website that uses a program (for free) to do that?

Blog Feature Filter

Mroz — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:46:09 -0800

BlogFeatureFilter: I'm looking for two features for my website. 1. A way to link to a google map that has 10-20 of my local spots marked off and labeled. I basically want to be able to add those little markers where I want with labels of what the spots are. 2. A poll that either doesn't display results immediately, or one that doesn't show them to anyone but me. Or any good polls that people can recommend.

Make many points on Google Maps

clgregor — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:27:10 -0800

How do people create Google Maps with a lot of different points selected, like this? Is there an easy way to do this from the main Google Maps site or do you have to have some extra programming done? I'd really like to enter two or three addresses and mark all their points on the same map (without having to do directions, and thus the route between them).