The Daily MapGame Challenge

It has been a while since Maps Mania featured a new daily map game (see The 12 Best Daily Map Games) - so may I introduce to you the MapGame!

MapGame is a daily brain teaser that challenges you to identify a mystery country on a map using the fewest number of clues. With each incorrect guess, you unlock a new hint — nudging you closer to the answer through geographical and directional clues.

The brilliance of MapGame lies in how it rewards not just accuracy, but strategy. You score points based on how quickly you solve the mystery, how few hints you need, and how well your guesses align with the clues. It's not enough to be right — you also have to be thoughtful.

Aside from the joy of solving each day's challenge, what keeps players coming back to MapGame are the detailed stats and the global leaderboard. The stats page records how many games you've played, how many countries you've solved, your current win streak, your best-ever streak, your average score, the average number of hints used, and your average time. The global leaderboard shows how your score ranks against all of today’s players and where you stand in the all-time rankings.

Tour de Street View

Stage 13 in the Pyrenees

Every summer, millions tune in to watch the world’s greatest cycling race snake its way through the heart of France. But watching from a helicopter shot or following time splits only tells part of the story. What if you could experience each stage for yourself - all from the comfort of your own home?

That’s exactly what Map Channels' new interactive Tour de France 2025 map delivers.

This Tour de France map isn’t just another route overview. It’s a fully immersive, animated map where each of the 21 stages of the 2025 Tour de France is brought to life through Google Street View animations. With one click of this map, you're no longer a spectator - you’re rolling through the same roads as the pros.

The official Tour de France website also includes maps of each stage of this year's race. Alongside each official route map you can view a stage profile, the time schedule for the stage and discover what points are on offer.

VisuGPX has also mapped out each stage of the Tour de France. The standout feature of this map is that you can view each stage route animated on a 3D terrain map. This is perfect for previewing those exciting mountain stages and discovering the locations of the biggest and most exciting climbs in each stage.

Routing for Vampires

One of the hardest tasks in navigation and wayfinding is calculating safe routes for vampires. The Damned have a number of unique routing requirements that demand more than just Google Maps in dark mode—chief among them, the need to avoid direct sunlight.

The Department of Computer Science at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences has developed a unique "vampire mode" that allows the undead in Zurich to navigate the city while staying out of the sun. Simply select "vampire mode" and enter two locations, and Routing OSRM Switzerland will suggest routes that prioritize shaded areas.

This new vampire mode may also prove useful for other city dwellers looking to avoid the intense daylight heat during the summer months, helping them navigate Zurich using footpaths that stay in the shade. The concept of providing sun-avoiding walking directions could also be of interest to shadow mapping platforms such as Shade Map and Shadow Map. Their detailed, time-based global shadow data could be ideal for generating personalized walking routes based on the date, time, and position of the sun.

The Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences's 'vampire mode' is made possible by (OSRM). This is a high-performance routing engine designed to calculate fast and flexible routes using OpenStreetMap data. The Open Source Routing Machine is highly customizable, which means it is perfect for tailoring routing behaviour based on different requirements (eg based on wheelchair accessibility or via green spaces).

The Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences' "vampire mode" is powered by the Open Source Routing Machine  (OSRM) - a high-performance routing engine designed to calculate fast and flexible routes using OpenStreetMap data. OSRM is highly customizable, making it ideal for tailoring routing behavior to suit specific needs, such as wheelchair accessibility, routes through green spaces, or (as in vampire mode) avoiding direct sunlight.

Via: weeklyOSM and the Swiss OpenStreetMap Association

Has a Nuke Gone Off?

Not so very long ago - in the days before America became great again -  Has a Nuke Gone Off would have made a nice Friday Fun post. Now it doesn't seem quite so funny. 

Has a Nuke Gone Off is a simple website that does just thing - it monitors a home-built nuclear blast detector to tell you whether a nuclear bomb has exploded. I am happy to report that as of '2025-07-05 05:47:53' no nuclear blast has been detected.

Has a Nuke Gone Off even includes instructions on how to build your own Bhangmeter V2 nuclear blast detector from a Raspberry Pi.

Via: webcurios

If you want to depress yourself further then you can use NUKEMAP to explore the effect that a nuclear bomb might have if dropped on your home. 

For reference - if Iran were to build a nuclear weapon and deploy it on a ballistic missile, the likely warhead yield would be in the range of 10 to 25 kilotons. The image above shows the result of dropping a  25 kilotons bomb on San Francisco. Just enter your own address into the map to simulate the demise of your own neighborhood.

The Map of the Internet

The Internet Infrastructure Map is an interactive visualization of the physical infrastructure of the global internet, built using data from TeleGeography and PeeringDB. It illustrates the growth of the internet over time, from the early days of subsea cable networks right up to the modern day.

The map highlights two core components of the physical internet: undersea cables (represented by lines) and Internet Exchange Points (shown as circles over cities). It's important to note that the map does not show the vast terrestrial fiber networks that deliver the internet to your home (those local cables running under streets and along highways). However, the size of each Internet Exchange Point on the map is scaled relative to its total peering bandwidth, so the map does show the major hubs of connectivity around the world.

A standout feature of the map is its timeline, which allows users to observe the growth of global internet infrastructure over the past 36 years. The animation begins in 1989 with the construction of the Rønne–Rødvig cable in Denmark. Of course, this wasn’t the start of the internet itself - it’s simply the earliest submarine cable included in the dataset used for the project. 1989 was likely chosen as a starting point because it coincides with Tim Berners-Lee’s proposal for the World Wide Web and marks the era when fiber optic technology began to see widespread deployment (including in undersea cables).

Mapping the Revolutionary War

Esri’s Battles of the American Revolutionary War is an interactive StoryMap that visualizes the major battles of the Revolution. This digital tool offers a compelling, user-friendly experience that brings the war’s geography and timeline to life. 

At the heart of the Battles of the American Revolutionary War is its interactive map interface and timeline. Using these features you can view the Revolution battles by location and by date. Whether you're tracking the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord or analyzing the decisive victory at Yorktown, the map provides a clear visual sense of how the war evolved spatially and strategically.

Clicking on any battle's marker on the map reveals a concise summary with essential details - such as the date, participants, and results - alongside a short historical background.

You can view some of the actual original maps from the Revolutionary War on the American Revolution Institute’s Ten Great Revolutionary War Maps. This curated selection of historical maps of the Revolution highlights maps created by American, British, French, and Hessian cartographers - ranging from hastily drawn field plans to meticulously engraved topographical charts. 

One of the most notable examples in this collection is Sebastian Bauman’s map of the Siege of Yorktown, which stands out as the first major battle map designed and published by an American engineer. Others, like William Faden’s depiction of the New Jersey campaign, and Charles Blaskowitz’s survey of Narragansett Bay, show how European-trained professionals contributed to strategic military planning.

The Doomsday Glacier

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier took thousands of years to form, yet in just the past two decades, its grounding zone, the critical boundary where the glacier meets the seafloor, has receded by over eight miles.

As the widest glacier in Antarctica, Thwaites spans an area comparable to the size of Florida. Its potential collapse could have catastrophic global consequences, significantly raising sea levels worldwide. The Doomsday Glacier, by Lily Peixuan Yu and Yi-Chun Lan, offers a striking scrollytelling experience that examines the glacier’s rapid retreat and the far-reaching implications of its disappearance.

Through satellite imagery, interactive maps, timelines, and 3D models, The Doomsday Glacier transforms complex scientific concepts into an engaging, visually immersive narrative. In particular, the 3D illustration of the glacier’s grounding zone effectively explains how the massive Thwaites Glacier has begun to detach from its underwater anchor. The impact of this detachment is dramatically visualized using animated satellite imagery, showing how the glacier’s ice tongue has begun to break apart.

The Doomsday Glacier succeeds not only as a scientific explanation but as a compelling call to action. It manages to turn complex climate research into a visually interesting and compelling narrative. In doing so, it underscores the power of storytelling in bridging the gap between scientific insight and public awareness.

The Whole of Human History Mapped

The Wikidata History Map is an interactive tool that visualizes historical events from Wikidata on a dynamic world map. By leveraging the vast database of Wikidata the map allows users to explore events ranging from ancient battles and natural disasters to political summits and cultural milestones - providing a unique way to see how history unfolds across time and space. 

Each historical event is represented on the map by an icon corresponding to its type (e.g., battles, earthquakes, treaties), making it easy to identify different categories of historical occurrences at a glance. 

How to Use the Map

Users can navigate the map by entering a specific date or date range (e.g., "1996," "1996 1," or "1996 1 26" for year, month, or day). A duration control adjusts the time span, while a limit control sets how many events appear on-screen. The interface includes buttons to jump to the previous or next time period, making it simple to browse through history chronologically. Hovering over an event marker displays a brief summary, while clicking on it opens a persistent popup with links to the corresponding Wikidata page - where you can also click through to read more about the event on Wikipedia.

Key Features

The map supports a wide variety of event types, each with a distinct icon—such as ⚔️ for battles, 🌋 for volcanic eruptions, and 🎭 for cultural events. Users can filter events by adjusting the date range and zooming into specific regions. The tool also remembers your last view settings, so returning users can pick up where they left off. Additionally, a help menu explains date formatting and navigation controls, making the tool accessible even to first-time users.

The Wikidata History Map joins a long list of interactive mapping projects that are dedicated to mapping the history of the world. Some of these include:

• Chronas is an interactive that map visualizes Wikipedia entries by date and by location and also shows country borders for different dates in history.
• TimeMap.org is an interactive, web‑based “Google Maps of History” created by MapTiler (the team behind OldMapsOnline and MapTiler.com). It allows you to see historical boundaries, country names, rulers, conflicts, and notable figures overlaid on a modern, zoomable map.
• OpenHistoricalMap - a community-driven, open online map project that lets users explore the world through time. This one doesn't map historical events as such - but reveals how cities and countries themselves change through time.

A Time Traveller's Guide to the Zoo

London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo. In 2028, it will celebrate its 200th anniversary - a milestone in a long and storied history that visitors can now explore through the Zoo’s Time Traveller’s Guide to London Zoo, a collection of vintage maps that even includes the original 1826 "Design for the Garden."

The Time Traveller’s Guide to London Zoo offers a fascinating journey through nearly two centuries of zoological innovation, conservation breakthroughs, and iconic architecture - all presented through a beautifully curated collection of vintage maps dating back to 1826, the year the Zoo first opened its gates.

Using the map timeline, you can explore in detail the zoo’s historical layouts over the last 200 years. This series of maps reveals how the Zoo has evolved in response to new understandings of animal care and public engagement, while offering glimpses of its most iconic structures and beloved animal residents.

These structures include the much-loved Lubetkin Penguin Pool (now Grade I listed), the world’s first public aquarium (London Zoo even coined the word aquarium), and the Snowdon Aviary (now transformed into Monkey Valley). Some of the Zoo’s most famous residents - including Jumbo the elephant and Guy the Gorilla - also feature on the maps, along with notable human figures such as the naturalist Charles Darwin (who was a fellow and council member of London Zoo).

A City's Grief in One Street

Unless it has happened to you, I guess it is impossible to truly understand what it’s like to have your home destroyed. How, then, can news organizations convey the tragedy of such loss to a public that seems increasingly immune to the horrors of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza?

In 2023, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) created an interactive 3D model of an apartment block in Gaza that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2021. Using photogrammetry, the ICRC allows users to virtually experience the civilian cost of the Israeli attacks on Gaza through a detailed digital reconstruction.

The ability to explore in detail 3D models of the wreckage caused to people’s homes and lives by military attacks provides a shocking insight into the consequences of war - an insight that, hopefully, most readers will never have to experience firsthand.

 

The Islamic University of Gaza - in 2023 and now

Eighteen months later, The Guardian has published a powerful report on the devastation to buildings and lives along a single street in Gaza. 'A street in Gaza, a map of dreams, and the people desperate to live' takes a close-up look at Gaza City’s main thoroughfare, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, aiming to show the universal through the particular.

The Guardian’s report begins with a story map, using satellite imagery to reveal the rubble surrounding the street. As you scroll, the map pans and zooms to various locations in the neighborhood. Before-and-after videos and imagery help explore the damage at key sites and communicate the profound sense of loss felt by the street’s residents.

By focusing on a single street, The Guardian’s report makes the vast and often overwhelming devastation in Gaza more tangible and intimate. Omar al-Mukhtar street becomes a microcosm of the wider destruction, allowing readers to connect personally with individual stories, shattered homes, and interrupted lives. This granular approach transforms data and statistics into human experiences, making the emotional cost of war harder to ignore.