Sunday, January 11, 2015

The Maps of the Week


If you've ever wondered if it would be quicker to take the bus or the subway then you should check out Transit Battle NYC.This map shows you where in New York you should catch the bus and when you should use the subway instead.

Drag the marker to a location on this map of New York and you can instantly view an overlay visualizing where you can travel to fastest by bus and where you can travel fastest by subway. The map uses data from the MTA's GTFS feeds for the transit time data which is then processed with OpenTripPlanner.


Yahad – In Unum is an organization dedicated to identifying mass Jewish execution sites and mass graves in the former Soviet Union. The organization collects forensic evidence and seeks out eyewitnesses to the executions of Jews and Roma to identify holocaust sites where the Nazis and their allies murdered Jews in towns and villages throughout Eastern Europe.

The Map of Execution Sites is a Google Map of the sites that Yahad - In Unum has identified so far. The red markers on the map indicate the location of execution sites on the map where Yahad - In Unum has added details of their investigations.

If you select a red dot on the map you can read details about the site, including the number of witnesses interviewed and details and videos from eye witnesses.


One of my favorite Google Maps of all time was Ze Frank's Earth Sandwich. Ze Frank's map allowed you to center a map on your location and discover what is on the other side of the Earth on another map. Ze Frank's map no longer works but you can now use the Antipodes Spain/New Zealand School Map instead.

The Spanish and the Kiwis are lucky because they are actually antipodes of each other. The Spain/New Zealand School Map takes advantage of this to try and foster partnerships between schoolchildren from each country. Enter a Spanish or New Zealand school name into the map and you can discover the school which is their nearest antipode. The map even provides the address of the school on the other side of the world so that the kids can send letters to their counterparts across the world.

If you don't live in Spain or New Zealand you can still use the map to discover your antipode.

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