A Photo Heat Map of the World

Sightsmap is a very cool heat map of the world based on the number of photographs submitted to Panoramio at different locations.

The map was launched in March of last year and has been a great resource to view the most photographed places in any town or city around the world.  Sightsmap has now relaunched with some very impressive new features.

My favourite new feature in the map is the option to click on hot spots on the map and discover what people were actually taking photos of. If you click on the map somewhere where a lot of photos have been taken an information window opens informing you what is at the location. If you then want to find out more about the location the window includes links to the Wikipedia, Panoramio, foursquare, Tripadvisor, Google Places and Google search entries for the location.

Another new feature of the map is the option to create a trip itinerary. Therefore if you are planning a trip to a location you can explore the map to find the most photographed places. If the location appeals to you then you can add it to your trip itinerary. As you add locations to your tip a route is automatically added to the map.

If you want a quick recommended trip you can select the 'recommend' option and choose whether you are planning to drive or walk and choose the time duration of your trip. Sightsmap then recommends an itinerary for you based on the highest rated locations.