Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with maps and mapping

Creating a Map Based on Distances Between Cities

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:03:51 -0800

Mapping question: I have a list of (imaginary) cities. I also know each city's as-the-crow-flies distance from every other city on the list. Based on this data alone, I would like to create a (hypothetical) map that shows all of these cities in their proper locations. I recognize that that the map's "rotation" would be arbitrary based on where & how you start plotting, but it seems that you should be able to plot out the relationships between cities properly. Is there software that can help me do this? To be a little more concrete, imagine that you have a mileage chart similar to this one. (That chart contains driving distances, but let's assume we have as-the-crow-flies distances instead.) If you pick an arbitrary starting point for one city, you can then plot out where every other city belongs, because you know how far each city is supposed to be from all the other cities.

I can envision at least one simple way to do this manually if you have just a handful of cities. But if you have a lot of cities, it becomes harder and harder. So I'd love to know if there is software that can calculate and draw such a map automatically. (Note: Using latitude/longitude is not an option - the scenario only involves knowing as-the-crow-flies distances between imaginary cities.) Thanks!

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.

Best Mac GPS mapping software and hardware?

wavejumper — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:26:36 -0800

What's the best GPS mapping system for making trail maps (software/hardware)? I'm an Apple person. More explanation: I want to map out and publicize a route I've been exploring that links my town to the regional trail system (which is about 50 trail-miles away, probably taking three or four detail maps). I'd like not to spend that much. And I REALLY like the "Terrain" view from Google Maps, any way to use that for my topography graphics?
Who can recommend the best (Mac) software? And cheapest hardware? Don't really need a good display, as I really just need the GPS to record the trail route and the elevation gains, I guarantee I'll never use it for actual Navigation, I think they pretty much suck for that purpose ;-].
Any way to use an iPhone's GPS with mapping software by the way?
Thanks!

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.

I have a GIS question.

BoldStepDesign — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:37:10 -0800

Basically, I want to build mapping system, similar to google maps, using something like Map server & open layers. Take in my own image, such as a building map, define roads or “hallways”, and import points via a XML or RSS feed. I want an interface that I can take the xml feed and run it under the map in a box, displaying it under the map, allowing users to click on the event, and being able to see where they need to go, and using a current fixed position, being able to see how to get there.

Generating shaded maps of India with state-level data series.

matthewr — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:31:29 -0800

What's the easiest way of generating a map similar to this? I have several state-level data series I want to display on maps of India. I assume this blank map of India in SVG format is a good starting-point. Now, what program(s) do I use to link areas on the map to my data series and hence automatically shade states by a variable x?

My data looks like:
[state code] state x [jm] jam 1.93386 [hp] him 1.74945 [pj] pun 1.90247 [uc] utt 2.13038 ... 33 more states ...

I have Windows, Stata, Excel and zero budget.

What about London should I map?

viewofdelft — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:23:05 -0800

What about London should I map? I'm in an Advanced GIS class for which I need to produce a final cartographic project. The project must begin in ArcGIS but from there I'm free to use anything else (Illustrator, Flash, Google Earth, etc). In the spirit of John Snow, I'd like to make my upcoming trip to London a force for academic good.

I have a GPS unit, a DSLR camera, a student's budget, and a winning personality. What should I map? I'm open to all suggestions as long as they meet the following criteria:

1) The map should present complex and interesting information. I'm not too worried about this one because questions soliciting suggestions on this site often generate very interesting answers.

2) The project/map should be focused. I'll be in London for only a week and I'd like to make the data collection effort into a sort of overarching theme for my visit. That means I should probably confine my map to one neighborhood or area (I'm staying in Soho, but don't let that restrict you).

3) The data can come from any (accessible) source. I'd like to have a little fun gathering the data, but if your suggestions for a map can just as easily be constructed with data from other sources, I'd be happy to hear them. I live in the United States, so any return trips are out of the question this semester.

Thanks in advance. If I choose to go with one of the suggestions, I'll keep you updated.

How to Sync GPS data

mrgreyisyelling — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:43:35 -0800

What is a simple straight forward way to gather gps data, and sync it with my digital camera/ Digital recorder? And possibly create a GIS database out of it? Before we go too far: I understand there are classes for this and I will be taking one before my degree is done.

In the mean time, I got a case of mappies. So I figured, despite having no knowledge of how to create the maps the best way - I could start collecting the data I want for the maps in anyway possible.

My desire is to map sections of my new home town, coordinating location with description, picture, or audio clip - and have it all end up in a database that will be appropriate for future GIS tom-foolery. I have attempted this in the past with my GPS tracker, and an attempt sync the time stamps of everything - but I've only had mixed results, it wasn't in any sort of usable database format.

So any software, hardware, technique that can be suggested that can suit my need before the class would be great.

Help me find a direction for my website.

desjardins — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 07:56:45 -0800

I want to build a website centered around maps, mapping, geography, GIS, etc., but I need help narrowing down my focus. I like niche blogs like Strange Maps and Google Maps Mania, as well as more general cartography blogs like Map Room (run by MeFi's own mcwetboy). Of course, I don't want to rip off either one, or any other site, but I'm starting to feel like it's all been done before.

I want to provide something interesting and useful. I also want it to be a playground where I can create my own maps. I can create Google and Yahoo mashups, I'm good with HTML and CSS, and so-so with Javascript, but I'm not at the point where I can create flash maps or Web 2.0 stuff like Wayfaring or Mapbuilder. I'm not going to sell anything on the site and I don't anticipate it as a money-making venture.

I'm sorry for the vagueness of the question - I don't mean this to be a name-my-kitten type of AskMe. I'm just hoping you can help me over my creative block. I've owned the domain name for half a year and have done basically nothing with it. So what kind of mapping site/blog would you be interested in seeing?

you got map'd

pinto — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:17:10 -0800

What are the best essays, books, or scholarly articles regarding the social role of maps? Both pre- and post- web 2.0, google earth mash ups, and the like. I'm familiar with the Situationalist critique, but wonder where else to begin reading. Bonus: Current mapping projects which seem particularly relevant with regard to socialization, cultural production, etc.

Google Map Craigslists garage sales?

Marky — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:38:09 -0800

Looking for a little help building a Google Maps/Craigslist display applet. I'm looking for a little direction building a map. I'd like to grab the last three days of garage sale ads off Craigslist, and display them on a Google Map with pinheads.

Sadly, my web programming skills are almost zero. I've spent the last ten years writing embedded apps in C and assembly.

So, where should I start with this, or (better!) did somebody already write one?

"The Map of a Single province covered the space of an entire City."

viewofdelft — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:50:20 -0800

I'm looking for maps "the same scale as the Empire." Both Jorge Luis Borges and Lewis Carroll describe fictional 1:1 scale maps in which the map is as vast as what it represents.

What other 1:1 maps can be found in literature (or the real world, for that matter)? I'd also be happy if you point me towards other outlandish maps on par with the 1:1 map. Thanks.

On-line map site that can indicate magnetic north on any given map?

Dave 9 — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 16:20:12 -0800

Is there an easy-to-use, on-line mapping site that can optionally indicate magnetic north on large-scale map images? I'm aware of more general solutions such as these:

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/jsp/Declination.jsp

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/icons/us_d_contour.jpg

Thanks.

Multi-Stop Driving Directions & Optimized Routing

masymas — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 23:15:43 -0800

Mapping & multi-stop driving directions: is there a free online mapping tool that will allow me to enter several locations in a US city and then display the quickest driving route to pass through all those locations? I've seen one called NavPro but it's not free.

Why are Europe and Asia considered two distinct land masses when it's obvious they are one?

Scoo — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 17:24:20 -0800

Why is it still taught that the Earth has seven continents, when it's obvious it has only six, or to be more precise, why are Europe and Asia considered two distinct land masses when it's obvious they are one?