Europe in Drought

Spring 2025 has been exceptionally dry in Europe, with nearly every country affected by drought. To help monitor the increasing threat of drought due to global heating, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has launched a new interactive drought map. Updated monthly, the tool provides near real-time insights into drought conditions across the EEA’s 38 member and cooperating countries.

The Drought Conditions Map currently shows that around 38% of the mapped area experienced drought between 11–20 April 2025. It highlights severe impacts across much of northern and eastern Europe during April. An accompanying pie chart reveals that 15% of European cropland was exposed to drought in the same period.

The map features multiple data layers, allowing users to track drought effects across different ecosystem types, including cropland, grassland, heathland, wetland, and urban areas in the 38 countries covered.

The European Drought Observatory (EDO) map includes the UK in its assessment of European drought conditions, where extremely dry weather is also being observed. The latest data reflects conditions from the last ten days of April 2025.

Currently, 31.3% of the monitored area is under ‘Warning’ status. The EDO cautions that if these conditions continue, impacts on vegetation are likely to become apparent in the coming months. Many European rivers are already reporting abnormally low water levels, raising concerns for ecosystems and water supplies.

Mapping Your Future Climate Risks

The Natural Hazards Index Map, developed by climate experts at Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, is a new interactive map that visualizes how and where climate change is increasing risks from natural disasters across the U.S.

What Hazards Does It Show?

The map focuses on 14 different types of natural hazards, with a special focus on those getting worse due to climate change. Some of the main ones include:

• Wildfires
  Example: San Diego and Yakima County in Washington are expected to see a much higher risk of wildfires. Even areas like the Dakotas, which don’t see many fires today, may see more in the future.

• Tornadoes
  Tornado activity is shifting eastward, away from the traditional Tornado Alley and toward the East Coast.

• Flooding and Sea Level Rise
  As some areas receive more rainfall, the flood risk will rise, especially in places like Louisiana.

• Extreme Heat, Hurricanes, and Tropical Storms
  These threats are also expected to worsen as global temperatures climb.

Unlike traditional hazard maps, this tool doesn’t just display current risks, it forecasts future changes, helping agencies and policymakers plan long-term resilience strategies. The platform also includes a resources page with links to preparedness guides, making it a practical tool for community safety planning.

The 2024 Sea-Level Rise Map

The 2024 U.S. Sea Level Report Cards from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) reveal that Gulf Coast states, particularly Louisiana and Texas, continue to experience some of the fastest rates of sea-level rise in the country.

Published annually, the VIMS sea-level report uses observed tide gauge data to track sea-level trends across the United States and project future changes based on this long-term record. This year’s edition debuts a sleek, user-friendly interactive map that compiles data from 35 coastal communities, offering localized insights and projections through 2050.

A key finding in this year’s report is the accelerated sea-level rise now being observed in the southeastern U.S., including Georgia and South Carolina. Along the East Coast, sea levels are rising steadily, driven in part by meltwater redistribution from the Greenland ice sheet. Meanwhile, much of the West Coast has shown unexpected stability, defying earlier predictions.

The VIMS dashboard is grounded in over 55 years of tide-gauge measurements from locations stretching from Alaska to Florida. This long-term dataset allows for precise tracking of both historical trends and accelerating rates of sea-level change at each site.

Each report card includes monthly sea level averages, notes short-term anomalies like storm surges, and incorporates longer-term climate influences such as El Niño. Importantly, the projections factor in observed acceleration and compare future water levels under both linear and accelerating scenarios, providing a range of possibilities within a 95% confidence interval to aid coastal planning and risk management. 

You can explore sea-level rise projections for other countries (as well as additional regions within the United States) using the Climate Change Sea-Level Map. Climate Risk’s Coastal Risk Map also lets you assess your flood risk based on projected sea-level rise, coastal flooding, elevation, and specific timeframes. By sharing your location with the map, you can view potential flood risks for different years and sea-level scenarios.

The W3W Cryptic GeoGuessing Game

Pin the Tale

Pin the Tale is an interactive storytelling game that uses the What3Words geolocation system as its foundation. Webcurios describes Pin the Tale as “a combination of cryptic crosswords and Geoguessr,” while the creators themselves call it a "treasure hunt."

For those unfamiliar, What3Words is a geolocation addressing system that divides the entire world into a grid of 3 meter by 3 meter squares, assigning each square a unique combination of three random words. Pin the Tale uses these three words as prompts for location-based stories. From these stories, other players must try to work out the exact 3x3 meter square being described, using the clues embedded in the story.

🎮 How to Play Pin the Tale

1. Explore the Map 

• Open the Pin the Tale map. 
• Zoom into any location to view stories that users have submitted. 
• Each story corresponds to a unique 3-word address (a specific 3x3m square). 

2. Read & Discover Stories 

• Click on a story to read it. 
• Try to figure out the exact location it’s describing. 
• Once you think you know the spot, enter the corresponding What3Words address in the answer box to see if you’re correct. 
• Think of it as a geographical treasure hunt. 

3. Create Your Own Story 

• Choose a location on the map. 
• Look up its What3Words address (for example, ///apple.tiger.chair). 
• Write a short story inspired by that place, incorporating those three words into the story. 
• Submit it for others to discover and solve. 

Pin the Tale is far more difficult to describe than it is to play. My advice is to just dive in, search for your nearest clues, and try to see if you can solve them.

The Marine Migration Map

tracked migrations of the Green Turtle

Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) is an interactive map visualizing the global migrations of more than 100 species of birds, mammals, turtles and fish. The aim of the map is to bring together knowledge about the migratory routes and connected habitats of marine species, such as marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and fish, in order to help support global conservation efforts.

The MiCO map was compiled by synthesizing decades of animal movement data from over 1,300 scientific studies published between 1990 and 2017. To create the map researchers compiled satellite tracking data from 109 migratory marine species, including seabirds, whales, sea turtles, and fish, collected through animal-borne tags that record and transmit migration routes. These tracking studies, conducted by universities, government agencies, and conservation organizations, have now been aggregated, standardized, and mapped to show key habitats and migratory pathways. 

By bringing together data from over 100 species and 100 studies, MiCO highlights critical corridors and habitats that multiple migratory animals rely on, helping policymakers and conservationists prioritize protection in key areas, especially in international waters where governance is fragmented. It is hoped that MiCO can help foster cross-jurisdictional collaboration, support data-driven policy decisions, and help prioritize conservation actions in both national waters and international seas, where migratory species are most vulnerable yet least protected.

Explore more migratory journey maps through the animal tracking tag

No News is Bad News

Over 200 counties across the United States now lack a single source of local news. Another 1,500 have only one. As a result, more than 50 million Americans live in what researchers call “news deserts”, areas with little to no access to reliable local reporting.

A new interactive map, developed by the Medill Local News Initiative, provides the most detailed view yet of this crisis. Their Local News Barometer and Watch List, updated in 2025 with new demographic and media data, serves as both a diagnostic tool and a forecast, helping journalists, lawmakers, funders, and citizens understand where local news is dying, and where it might disappear next.

The map includes a Local News Watchlist - a collection of counties identified as having more than a 40% chance of becoming news deserts within the next five years. The latest version, highlights 249 such counties. These at-risk areas are not just underserved - they are, on average, poorer, older, and less educated than even existing news deserts. If you select a state from the map sidebar then the Watchlist will update to show all the counties in the selected state in the most danger of becoming news deserts.

The map’s most sobering takeaway is that America is increasingly becoming two nations when it comes to local news: one with abundant access in affluent, urbanized regions, and another without. The consequences are profound. Research shows that communities without local news experience lower civic engagement, less voter participation, and weaker accountability in public institutions.

Serendipitous Street View Fun

Internet Roadtrip

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time virtually exploring cities around the world, guided by StreetWhip's impressive AI technology. Today's serendipitous Street View adventure, however, has been powered by the delightful Internet Roadtrip.

Internet Roadtrip is the latest engaging project from the always entertaining Neal.fun. It takes you on a drive through Google Street View—but with a twist. On this drive, it's the wisdom of the crowd that determines the route. Every ten seconds, Internet Roadtrip presents users with a choice. If we're at a junction, the options might be to turn left, turn right, or go straight ahead. The direction we take is then decided by the votes of the hundreds of people currently playing.

Sometimes, you're not at a junction. In those moments, the voting options might include continuing forward, changing the radio station, or turning the radio off entirely. A small mini-map insert tracks the journey so far, as guided by the crowd’s collective decisions.

When I first played the game yesterday, Internet Roadtrip was meandering through Boston. Today, it's in Norwood, Massachusetts. According to Google Maps, that’s about 23 miles as the crow flies. But with the circuitous route enforced by the crowd’s decisions, I’m sure the actual journey has covered many, many more miles.

A Guided Street View Tour of the World

StreetWhip

If you've ever lost an hour (or five) wandering the globe via Google Street View, you’re not alone. There’s something uniquely thrilling about virtually dropping into a faraway town and soaking in the details — the architecture, the people, the colors of everyday life. But what if you could do more than just look? What if you had a knowledgeable, curious local guide whispering in your ear, telling you what you're seeing and why it matters?

Welcome to StreetWhip — a wildly addictive mashup of Google Street View and artificial intelligence that turns virtual wandering into a rich, immersive learning experience. Think of it as a reverse Geoguessr: instead of guessing where you are, StreetWhip tells you where you are, what you’re seeing, and the deeper stories behind it all.

Not Just a Street — A Story

Let’s say you’re standing on a bridge over the Dijver canal in Bruges. To the untrained eye, it’s a scenic view with charming brick buildings lining the water. But click on a StreetWhip link, and suddenly you’re informed:

"That’s the Old St. John’s Hospital, one of the oldest surviving hospital buildings in Europe. Notice the row of smaller arched windows near the bottom? Those illuminated the original wards."

It’s like turning on an X-ray vision for cultural and historical insight. StreetWhip identifies buildings, styles, historical relevance, and even hidden quirks in the environment — all powered by AI that acts like your personal tour guide. It brings a layer of meaning to what would otherwise just be “some random street.”

Why StreetWhip Is So Addictive

What makes StreetWhip so brilliant is that it taps into something deeply human: curiosity. You’re not being led through a pre-designed museum exhibit — you’re exploring, poking around unfamiliar neighborhoods in Japan, Uruguay, or Morocco and then being rewarded with tidbits of local culture, architectural nuance, and historical backstory.

Google Maps Needs Street Whip

StreetWhip is so informative and useful that Google should seriously consider implementing something like it directly into Google Maps. I still fondly remember the Wikipedia layer that unfortunately Google removed back in 2013. StreetWhip feels like its spiritual successor: a smart, engaging map companion for those of us who love learning about the world.

Google Talking Tours

Google has actually taken some tentative steps toward implementing an AI travel guide for Street View. Google Talking Tours, a collaboration between the Google Arts & Culture Lab and artist-in-residence Gaël Hugo, is an experimental project that leverages generative audio and Google’s Gemini AI to provide dynamic, location-specific insights about cultural landmarks featured in Street View.

However, unlike StreetWhip, Talking Tours is limited to just 55 major landmarks around the world. It offers an AI-generated audio guide that delivers insights based on the visual content of Street View panoramas. Users can explore a 360-degree view of a site, take a snapshot, and receive detailed commentary from the AI. Additionally, there's an “Ask a Question” button that generates three contextual questions about the location, enhancing interactivity and personalized learning.

Google Talking Tours is a promising start, but it barely scratches the surface of what’s possible. Taking inspiration from StreetWhip — with its deep contextual insights, spontaneous street-level discovery, and playful interactivity — Google could use its Gemini AI to transform Google Maps' vast Street View archive into something far richer: not just a map, but a living, breathing encyclopedia of the world.

The World's Terrorist Hotpots

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger all rank among the top five countries most impacted by terrorism (Pakistan and Syria are the other two). In fact, the Sahel region of Africa has become the epicenter of global terrorism, accounting for over half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide. Notably, only seven Western countries appear in the top 50 most affected.

You can explore the full rankings on Vision of Humanity’s Global Terrorism Index. Their interactive map highlights the degree to which each country is impacted by terrorism, with the most affected nations shown in red.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) is an annual report that measures the impact of terrorism across 163 countries, representing 99.7% of the global population. Developed by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the GTI draws from data sources including Terrorism Tracker to produce a composite score for each nation. This score, which ranges from 0 (no impact) to 10 (maximum impact), reflects factors such as the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries, and property damage in a given year. 

In 2023 the United States experienced a 15-year low in total attacks. However despite this overall drop there has been a sharp 200% rise in anti-semitic attacks. The US also accounted for 76% of terrorism-related deaths in Western democracies.

Kangaroos Don't Vote - People Do

If ever an election needed a cartogram map, it was the 2025 Australian federal election.

If you were to view The Australian’s Electorate Map - 2025, you could be forgiven for thinking the Liberals had cruised to a landslide victory. This traditional cartogram election map is visually dominated by the blue of the Liberal Party. It also appears as if the Labor Party (shown using salmon pink) made only a few modest gains in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, and a handful of electorates in the southeast of the country.

It just goes to confirm the well-worn cliché: "kangaroos don't vote — people do."

The Guardian’s "Exaggerated" view does a slightly better job of visually representing the large number of urban seats won by Labor in this election. Their Australian election results 2025 map map allows users to toggle between a traditional geographical view and an exaggerated one, in which "smaller electorates are increased in size for visibility."

However, even The Guardian’s exaggerated view still falls short of clearly conveying the full story of the 2025 election - with 82% of the results called, Labor holds 82 seats compared to just 32 for the L/NP Coalition.

ABC News’ Live: Maps show swing to Labor, crash in Coalition vote does an excellent job of illustrating the massive swing to Labor in this election compared to 2022. Using a series of swing arrow maps, ABC visualizes the changes in vote share since the previous election in both the two-party-preferred vote and the primary vote. The screenshot above shows "the change in the two-candidate-preferred vote in each electorate." As you can see, there are far more red arrows — representing a swing towards Labor — than blue arrows — which indicate a swing towards the Coalition.