The Bellingcat Open Source Challenge

Wordle and Minute Cryptic and Scrambled Maps will have to a back-seat this month - there's a new daily challenge in town: the Bellingcat Open Source Challenge.

Launched by Bellingcat, a renowned platform for open-source research and investigative journalism, the Open Source Challenge is running throughout December. Five days a week, Bellingcat is posting a new challenge, inviting participants to use open-source tools to solve intriguing puzzles.

So far, five challenges have been set - each involving the analysis of a different photograph, primarily to uncover geolocation clues. After about 90 minutes of sleuthing, I’ve managed to solve only two of this week’s daily challenges (the photos outlined in green in the screenshot above).

I don’t want to spoil the challenge for you by giving away any answers, but I can share the tools I’ve been using this morning (none of which, ironically, are truly open-source):

ChatGPT

Gemini

Geospy

Google Image Search

Bellingcat maintains its own Online Open Source Investigation Toolkit, a comprehensive, categorized database of tools for verifying photos and videos, archiving web pages, and much more. To add to the collaborative spirit, Bellingcat has set up a Bellingcat Challenge channel on its Discord Server, where participants can work together to crack each daily challenge.

Via: Webcurios

US Segregation Maps

Visualizing U.S. Segregation Through Interactive Maps

Census Dots is an interactive map of 2020 U.S. census data. On the map, millions of colored dots each represent one individual. The colors indicate the race or ethnicity that individuals identified with in the 2020 Census. Although the map does not mention this explicitly, most census dot maps randomize the locations of dots within each census area for privacy.

Using this map, you can zoom in on any city to observe how segregated many American communities remain. To understand the historical context of this segregation, you can compare cities on the Census Dots map with historical redlining maps from the University of Richmond's Mapping Inequality:

Redlining in New Deal America.

Oakland California

In the image above, the redlining map of Oakland appears side by side with its Census Dot map. The red areas on the redlining map represent neighborhoods classified as "Hazardous" or "Type D." These were deemed the riskiest neighborhoods for investment and were effectively "redlined." Historically, the "Hazardous" category was often assigned to areas predominantly inhabited by Black or other "non-white" populations.

In the 2020 Census, these same neighborhoods show high densities of Black residents, according to the Census Dots map. By contrast, the green areas on the redlining maps represent neighborhoods deemed "Best" or "Type A" by redlining inspectors in the 1930s. These neighborhoods were primarily reserved for White residents. Today, according to the census, these "best" neighborhoods remain predominantly White.

Greater Seattle

The blue areas on redlining maps indicate "Still Desirable" or "Type B" neighborhoods. These areas were typically assigned to middle-class or upper-middle-class White residents.

Meanwhile, areas marked as yellow on the redlining maps - classified as "Definitely Declining" or "Type C" - represented working-class neighborhoods. These areas were often viewed as likely to "deteriorate" further and were generally excluded from favorable mortgage lending practices.

Dallas, Texas

The 1930s redlining map of Dallas shows that the "Best" (green) neighborhoods were primarily located in the northern part of the city. According to the 2020 Census Dots map, these northern neighborhoods are now predominantly White.

Redlining maps, officially known as Residential Security Maps, were created by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s in the United States. These maps were used to assess the risk of mortgage lending in different neighborhoods. The colors assigned to areas indicated their "security" for investment, which was influenced by racial, ethnic, and economic factors, leading to systemic discrimination.

In this post I have compared three cities at random. You can use the Census Dots map and the Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America to make your own comparisons.

North America's Shrinking Railways

Passenger rail services in 1980 and 2024 interactive map visualizes the Amtrak (red) and VIA Rail (blue) systems in 1980 and 2024, alongside independent railways and commuter services (green). The map highlights a notable decline in the availability of passenger rail services in both the USA and Canada over the last 44 years.

Using the map's slide control, you can easily switch between the rail services available in 1980 and those in 2024. This quick comparison starkly illustrates the reduction in passenger rail services in both countries. Additionally, the 1980 map includes notable routes (in grey) that were discontinued after 1976, revealing an even more dramatic decline when comparing the situation today to earlier years.

Canada: Passenger Rail Decline

In Canada, VIA Rail’s 2024 service levels have significantly decreased compared to 1980, especially in terms of the number of routes and trains available outside the core Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. The focus has shifted toward fewer but higher-quality services in high-demand areas, often at the expense of rural and remote connectivity.

USA: Amtrak’s Reduced Long-Distance Services

In the USA, Amtrak’s long-distance services are less frequent in 2024 than in 1980, with several routes entirely discontinued. The 1980 map also shows numerous additional routes (in grey) that were abandoned between 1976 and 1980. 

For a broader perspective, Vox’s animated map - the decline of passenger railway services in the US - illustrates the steady erosion of American rail since 1962. 

Freight vs. Passenger Rail in North America

It's important to recognize that while passenger rail has declined, the USA still possesses an extensive rail network. This is clearly shown on the National Rail Network map of Canada, the USA, and Mexico. However, this vast network is predominantly used for freight transportation rather than passenger rail.

The United States actually has one of the largest rail networks in the world, but freight railroads account for approximately 140,000 miles of track, while Amtrak operates on around 21,000 miles, most of which it does not own. Instead, Amtrak relies on agreements with freight railroads to use their tracks, often resulting in delays because freight trains are given priority.

Global Rail Network Comparisons

For a deeper comparison of the U.S. rail network with those of other countries, you can refer to OpenRailwayMap. This resource uses OpenStreetMap data to create a worldwide, open, up-to-date, and detailed map of global rail networks.

The Bird Migration Atlas

The European Turtle Dove is a relatively small bird, weighing only about 100 grams (3.5 ounces). Despite its size, the European Turtle Dove undertakes an incredible long-distance migration of around 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa every year. This remarkable journey, along with the migratory routes of hundreds of other bird species, can be explored in detail on the Bird Migration Atlas.

The Bird Migration Atlas is an interactive map that plots the migration patterns of over 300 bird species across two continents: Eurasia and Africa. The map integrates data from historical European ringing schemes and modern tracking technologies to provide a comprehensive view of migration routes across both continents.

The Overall Connectivity map serves as the starting point for all species, revealing patterns of migratory connectivity. It highlights how birds from different geographic regions move, considering variations by age and sex. This map visualizes broad migratory trends, such as seasonal routes and key stopover sites that birds use during their journeys. Users can toggle additional layers for a more nuanced view, such as tracking data (where available), to better understand the specific migratory routes of individual species.

The By Region map allows for a deeper examination of bird movements based on where they were originally ringed and where they have been recovered. By color-coding encounters according to European ringing regions, this tool makes it easier to trace how individuals from specific populations migrate. The inclusion of tracking data (from sources like Movebank) further enriches the visual representation by displaying precise movement patterns, such as those derived from satellite transmitters or geolocators.

You can explore the migration patterns of American bird species on the impressive Bird Migration Explorer. The Bird Migration Explorer is an interactive map that visualizes the migratory patterns of 458 bird species that breed in the United States and Canada. Using the map, you can explore the journeys of individual bird species and discover when different species are likely to migrate through your town or city.

The Bird Migration Explorer allows you to view animated maps showing the full migration routes of these 458 species. By entering a location into the interactive map, you can also discover which bird species migrate to or through that location and when they are most likely to be seen.

The Joy-Plot Map of Europe

The Ridgeline Map of European Population Density is an interactive map that provides a multi-resolution visualization of Europe's population density in the form of a joy-plot.

Joy-plots, also known as ridgeline plots, draw their inspiration from one of pop culture’s most iconic visuals: the album cover of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. Designed by Peter Saville in the 1970s, the cover features a mesmerizing depiction of radio waves emitted by a pulsar (the image was originally published in the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy). Over time, this striking design has transcended its musical roots to become a cultural and artistic symbol. In the world of data science, visualizations that echo this pulsar-inspired aesthetic are affectionately dubbed “joy-plots,” paying homage to the legendary album and its enduring influence.

This interactive joy-plot map of European population density was made using Gridviz. Gridviz is 'a JavaScript library for visualizing gridded data ... using a large variety of cartographic styles and techniques.' The resulting joy-plot map leverages the Eurostat GISCO Population distribution dataset to represent population density as horizontal ridgelines, where vertical peaks convey the density of the population across different areas of the continent.

Gridviz even offers three unique joy-plot styles for exploring European population density data: the basic joyplot, the shaded joyplot, and the random colored joyplot. As users zoom in on these maps, higher-resolution joy-plot lines appear, revealing finer details about population density at more localized levels. Additional place-name labels are also displayed, making it easier to navigate and understand the data at different scales.

Geotripper - the Traveling Salesman Game

Only a few days after the release of the flight sim game Travel Cat the prolific TripGeo is back with another entertaining geographical map game. GeoTripper offers players a unique challenge: charting the shortest possible route through a series of random destinations around the globe! 

GeoTripper is a lot of fun to play. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek of the game over the weekend, and I’ve been hooked ever since. It is an original concept for a game which also manages to be very addicting!

Remember that - as I'm now going to get a little technical in exploring the dynamics of the game - 

Here's how it works:

1. You are given a list of locations.
2. You plot a route to connect them all in the shortest distance.
3. You submit your route and earn points based on how close your plan is to the optimal solution.

In essence, GeoTripper challenges players to solve a series of Traveling Salesman Problems (TSP). 

The Problem:

The TSP is a classic optimization problem in mathematics and mapping. Imagine a salesperson who needs to visit a number of cities. The challenge is to determine the shortest possible route that visits every city exactly once. The TSP has clear real-world applications, such as optimizing delivery routes for goods.

The Solution:

There are several methods for solving a TSP, including the Held-Karp algorithm and the Christofides algorithm. GeoTripper uses a brute force approach. This method involves calculating all possible permutations of the listed cities and determining the total distance for each route.

It's Fun!

You don’t need to worry about solving complex TSP algorithms while playing GeoTripper. Instead, you can just use your geographical knowledge to plot the best-looking route on the map. Your score depends on how close your route is to the optimal one.

With 12 different routes to complete in various regions of the world (plus a global challenge), GeoTripper offers plenty of variety. Players earn points and gold cups for each route, and the ultimate goal is to collect gold cups for all 12 routes.

A Race Against Time

Geotripper resets every 15 minutes (at :00, :15, :30, and :45 past the hour). This means you have only a quarter of an hour to complete all 12 routes - but it also means there are 12 new rounds to play every 15 minutes!

Lifetime Net Elevation Scores

Topi Tjukanov's popular Notable People map highlights the most "notable" person born in specific locations around the world. The designation of "most notable" is determined based on the highest number of page views of individuals listed on Wikipedia's "People from X" pages.

I’ve often pondered the idea of creating a complementary Notable Deaths map that showcases the most famous person to have died in each city around the globe. The reasoning behind such a map, albeit somewhat speculative, is that the location of a person's death might provide a better indication of where they spent the majority of their life compared to their birthplace.

However, I’ve consistently decided against pursuing this idea for two primary reasons:

1. I’ve never come across comprehensive lists of "People who died in X" on Wikipedia or elsewhere.
2. I doubt that the location of a person's death is actually any more indicative of where they spent most of their life than their birthplace.

Of course I could just look-up the individual entries of notable people on Wikipedia to discover where they died. Which I assume is where Net Elevation found their 'death place' locations for 'famous deceased' persons. 

The Net Elevation website focuses on the unique relationship between a person's life journey and geographical elevations. It presents a poetic and data-driven perspective, emphasizing the difference in elevation between a person's birthplace and death place as a simple metric to reflect on an individual's life.

Calculating Net Elevation Metrics:

Birthplace Elevation: Every individual is born at a specific geographic location, which has a measurable elevation (the height above or below sea level).

Death Place Elevation: Similarly, when a person dies, their death location has its own elevation.

Net Elevation: The difference between these two elevations - birth and death - is their "net elevation."

For example, Albert Einstein, who was born in Ulm and died in Princeton, had a net elevation score of -411 meters. Not exactly the most impressive lifetime achievement, I’m sure you’ll agree.

In essence, Net Elevation is a humorously intriguing concept that offers a brief but entertaining diversion. Now, if all that death-location data could be leveraged to create a Notable Deaths map (showing the most famous person to have died in each location around the world) then you’d really be killing it!

Via: Webcurios

Travel Cat's Aerial Adventures

I have seen a few flight simulator games created with 3D maps over the years,, but Travel Cat to let you pilot a plane as a cat. Flying a feline-piloted plane past the Eiffel Tower in Paris or around the Statue of Liberty in New York is as enchanting as it sounds. It is also a lot of fun.

Travel Cat uses the Google Maps API's 3D view to create a basic flight simulator that allows you to explore anywhere in the world. Or drive! Clicking on a road in the 3D map view instantly places your cat on terra firma, behind the wheel of a car. Press 'B,' and the car transforms into a 3D model of a boat, letting you explore waterways with equal ease.

The charm of Travel Cat lies primarily in the whimsical nature of its protagonist - a fearless feline pilot. Flying a cat-piloted plane around some of the world’s most famous landmarks elevates what might have been a straightforward flight simulator into a heartwarming and imaginative experience. Google's 3D map view enhances the realism of the game, delivering an immersive low-altitude flying experience. 

Whether you’re soaring above landmarks or cruising through streets and waterways, Travel Cat offers a delightful blend of exploration and whimsy that helps to set it apart from other map-based flight simulators.

Travel Cat isn't the only game to have been released by TripGeo this week. You might also enjoy Video Scramble. While not directly map-related, Video Scramble has a cartographical link, as it is inspired by TripGeo's popular Scrambled Maps game. 

Scrambled Maps is a daily puzzle game that challenges players to rearrange a scrambled map of a different city each day. Video Scramble builds on this concept with a similar challenge - this time requiring players to unscramble an AI-generated video. There are 20 videos to solve in total. So far, I’ve successfully unscrambled 16 of them, and I can confirm they all share a distinctly monsterish theme.

Drowning in Plastic

There are five large ocean garbage patches. Most people have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but there are also the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and South Pacific garbage patches.

These garbage patches form due to ocean currents called gyres, which trap floating debris in circulating patterns. Over time, waste such as plastic bottles, fishing nets, and microplastics accumulates in these areas. The primary causes include improper waste disposal, runoff from rivers carrying trash into the sea, and discarded debris from ships and fishing activities. This pollution poses serious threats to marine life, ecosystems, and human livelihoods.

The Straits Times has been investigating the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch, the third largest after the Pacific and South Pacific patches. In Drowning in Plastic, the newspaper uses a story-map to show the location of the Indian Ocean patch, explain how it is formed, and detail the consequences for marine life and the food chain.

The Seas of Plastic is another mapped visualization of the floating plastic debris polluting the world's oceans. This interactive visualization features a globe highlighting the five major circulating gyres of plastic in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, and South Pacific. It also includes a Sankey diagram that illustrates the amount of plastic debris contributed by different countries to each of these gyres.

The data for the Seas of Plastic visualization is based on a Lagrangian particle tracking model, which simulates 30 years of input, transport, and accumulation of floating plastic debris worldwide. The model traces the paths of plastic particles from land to sea, providing estimates of the relative size of each of the five circulating gyres.

The Ocean Cleanup organization estimates that between 1.15 and 2.41 million metric tons of plastic in the oceans originate from the world's river systems, with two-thirds coming from rivers in Asia. To illustrate how and where plastic enters the world’s oceans, The Ocean Cleanup has released an interactive map titled River Plastic Emissions to the World’s Oceans.

The map highlights river systems across the globe, with scaled circular markers at the coast representing the predicted plastic input from each river system. These predictions are based on a model that considers factors such as population density, waste management practices, topography, hydrography, dam locations, and reported plastic concentrations in rivers worldwide.

Mapping the Underground Art Scene

Earlier this month Maps Mania reviewed Subway Stories, a visualization of subway journeys on the NYC subway system. The map was developed for the 2024 MTA Open Data Challenge.  Now, the MTA has announced the winner of that challenge: Art Off the Rails, an interactive map showcasing the artworks of the MTA.

Art Off the Rails uses the MTA's extensive art catalog to map the locations of artworks in New York's subway, Metro-North, and Long Island Rail Road stations. This innovative tool turns your daily commute into a cultural journey by highlighting the incredible variety of public art across the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) system.

The New York subway system is home to hundreds of stunning works of art. From intricate mosaics to striking sculptures, these pieces enrich commuters’ daily journeys underground. With Art Off the Rails, commuters can delve into the history, artists, and stories behind each MTA art installation.

Stations with artworks are marked on the map as white circles, with the size of the circle indicating the number of artworks at that location. This feature makes it easy to explore the artistic highlights along your subway route. From the beloved Alice in Wonderland-themed mosaics at the 50th Street station to Roy Lichtenstein's Times Square mural and the abstract glass installations at Fulton Center, the MTA subway is filled with fascinating works of art. Now, with the Art Off the Rails interactive map, you can uncover and appreciate these artistic gems.

The London Underground's Art on the Underground map is a little more analog. While there isn’t yet an interactive map for the artworks on the Tube, the Art on the Underground website offers a free downloadable PDF Art Map. This printable guide (a snippet of which is shown above) uses the iconic Harry Beck-inspired schematic layout of the London Underground system.

On this map, numbers indicate the locations of artworks across the Tube network. A key provides details about each numbered artwork, including its title, artist, and precise station location. The London Underground map features works by notable artists such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Mark Wallinger, and Clare Woods.