Tranquil Walking Directions

Southampton has launched a new interactive map to help walkers and cyclists avoid air pollution and noisy streets. The new Southampton Airmap guides users to quieter, greener, and cleaner walking and cycling paths throughout the city. It provides routes that bypass busy, polluted streets in favor of tree-lined avenues, quiet parks, and scenic green spaces.

At the heart of the Southampton Airmap website is an interactive map powered by a unique "tranquility index", developed by researchers at the University of Southampton. This tranquility index is a detailed, color-coded map that displays levels of peace across every corner of the city. With a grid of small hexagonal zones, the map highlights the most tranquil spots in varying shades of green - from lighter greens for calmer streets to deep greens for serene areas like parks and quiet neighborhoods. Using this map, you can easily plan a journey along Southampton's most relaxing, nature-filled routes.

Simply enter your starting point and destination, and the Southampton Airmap will suggest a route that reduces exposure to air and noise pollution, guiding you through greener, more peaceful areas. Each suggested route comes with an overall Tranquil City Index rating based on various factors that contribute to a calm, low-stress environment. Users can also click on any location within the city to view that area’s air quality, noise levels, green space presence, and its Tranquil City Index rating.

The Scariest Place Names in the World

For many people around the world, the fun of Halloween starts today with Mischief Night. Whether you’re indulging in a little mischief tonight or getting ready for trick-or-treating tomorrow, you might want to add a little spooky geography to your celebrations. Get ready for a 'Mappy Halloween' with a journey through some of the eeriest place names on the map! From Vampire Island off the coast of Australia to Devil’s Den in Pennsylvania, explore some scary-sounding haunts and spine-chilling towns that give Halloween a whole new dimension of frightful fun.

Mappy Hallloween

Mappy Halloween! is a crowd-sourced map of scary user-contributed place names found around the world. Off the coast of Western Australia you might want to avoid landing on Vampire Island, which apparently is uninhabited (although it may only be uninhabited by mortal beings). Other highlights on this map include a Ghost Lake in Canada, a Spooky Gulch in Utah, and a Wizard Wells in Texas.

If you know of any other spooky sounding locations then you can add them to the map by completing this short form.

The Scariest Place Names in the US

The United States is a very scary country. The Scariest Place Names in the US is an interactive map which plots some of the most frightening sounding locations across America. You've probably already heard of the towns of Hell in Michigan and Tombstone, Arizona. But have you heard of Transylvania, Louisiana and Slaughter Beach, Delaware.

You can find many, many more spooky sounding locations on the Scariest Place Names in the US. On this map thousands of different scary sounding places have been identified using colored map markers. So if you zoom in on your home you should be able to quickly find the scariest sounding locations nearby.

13 Spooky Halloween Haunts

If you are looking for more spooky sounding locations to spend this Halloween then you should consult the 13 Spooky Halloween Haunts interactive map. This map plots the locations of some of America's most frightening place-names. It also explains how these scary places earned their spooky names.

For example there is a Dead Women Crossing in Oklahoma, which was named for the headless corpse of a young schoolteacher who was found there in 1904. If that isn't scary enough for you then why not spend the night at Murder Creek, Alabama, named for the party of loyalists robbed and murdered here during the Revolutionary War.

Haunted Places in France

Haunted Places in France is an interactive mapped tour of some of the scariest place-names in France. Using this map you can plan a tour of France that you might never forget, taking in locations such as Le Puits de Neuf Morts (the Well of Nine Deaths), Le Val Sans Retour (the Valley of No Return), Le Pont du Diable (the Devil's Bridge), Pont des Vampires (the Vampire Bridge) or Les Prés des Squelettes (the Skeleton Meadows).

The Ghosts of London

Beneath the bustling streets and historic landmarks of London lies a city haunted by the spirits of its past. From royal specters in the Tower of London to the chilling echoes of Jack the Ripper’s victims in Whitechapel, London’s dark heritage seems to linger, haunting its present!

This Halloween, you've been appointed to the position of Ghost Hunter General of London. Using the provided Haunted London map your mission is to track down the various ghosts and ghouls roaming the city’s streets. Watch the short, spooky videos - captured by tourists at some of London's most iconic locations - and help identify the correct location shown in each video by clicking on the accompanying map. The closer you click to the correct spot, the more points you’ll earn.

If you don't know London very well then you might prefer to play Nightmare on View Street. This global edition of our Ghostbusters meets Geoguessr game challenges you to identify some of the world's most famous landmarks by watching a series of haunted videos. Just as in Haunted London, you’ll need to pinpoint the correct location in each video by clicking on the interactive map. Happy ghost hunting!

The Interactive Genocide Map

A Cartography of Genocide is a powerful new initiative by Forensic Architecture that maps the extensive human cost of the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza. This interactive platform and accompanying 827-page report seek to document and analyze attacks on Gaza’s civilian population and infrastructure from October 2023 to June 2024.

This interactive map presents an in-depth spatial and temporal analysis of military actions in Gaza, identifying not only individual incidents but broader patterns of violence. The project provides a stark, data-driven examination of the military campaign’s impact on civilian life, examining Israel's directives for civilians to move to ostensibly "safe" zones which were later attacked. This approach allows the analysis to uncover a larger narrative about the systematic destruction of Gaza’s essential infrastructure.

The interactive cartographic platform at the heart of the project allows users to visualize data points across Gaza, categorizing events such as displacement, destruction of medical facilities, and targeting of agriculture. These visualizations illustrate connections between different actions - like how certain areas were subject to repeated displacement orders before subsequent attacks, a pattern that underscores the lack of genuine "safe" zones.

The report outlines six specific categories of military conduct: spatial control, displacement, destruction of agriculture and water resources, destruction of medical and civilian infrastructure, and targeting of aid. Each category provides both statistical data and pattern analysis, giving a granular view of the deliberate impacts on life-sustaining infrastructure and resources. By tracking these types of destruction simultaneously, the report highlights how military strategies are employed not in isolation but as part of a coordinated approach to destabilize civilian life in Gaza.

Also See

• Mapping the Massacres - a map of the atrocities committed by Hamas on the 7th October.
• Gaza Damage Proxy Map - assessing the damage to buildings in Gaza
• How the Israel-Hamas War has Reshaped Rafah in Gaza - mapping damaged buildings in Rafah
• How Will Gaza be Rebuilt - mapping the levels of debris in Gaza

Geolocating Visual Media in Conflict Zones

Geoconfirmed is a volunteer-based platform focused on geolocating visual content in conflict zones. The organization provides verified geolocation data to support situational awareness, investigative efforts, and combat misinformation. Initially launched in 2022, to document the Ukraine conflict, Geoconfirmed now also documents visual content in other conflict zones. Their tools include detailed conflict maps and in-depth analyses, with a global reach encompassing Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, and Israel.

Geoconfirmed geolocates visual content by analyzing landmarks, terrain, and environmental features visible in images or videos from conflict zones. Volunteers use satellite imagery, maps, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques to cross-reference these elements and determine precise locations. By crowdsourcing insights, Geoconfirmed validates locations based on visual clues like building shapes, roads, natural landscapes, and other identifiable markers in the visual data shared online.

Geoconfirmed's interactive maps for various conflict zones contain geolocated visual media, allowing users to explore specific sites. By selecting a map marker, users can view details on how a location shown in a video or photograph was geolocated. Each map also includes a timeline control, enabling users to filter geolocated media by date.

If you are interested in helping Geoconfirmed identify the location of visual content then you might like to bookmark Bellingcat's Geolocation Tools. This is a curated list of resources offering which can help you to pinpoint locations in images or videos. The toolkit includes AI tools, mapping resources, satellite imagery analysis, and environmental data models. These tools are especially useful for investigative journalists and researchers working with open-source intelligence to analyze visual media from conflict zones and other high-interest areas.

The History of New York

Mapping Historical New York: A Digital Atlas is an amazing resource that offers an unprecedented look at how Manhattan and Brooklyn were transformed at the end of nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The interactive map visualizes New York census data from 1850, 1880, and 1910, to reveal how migration, residential, and occupational patterns evolved over the course of 60 years. Using the atlas takes users directly to the doorsteps of historical New Yorkers, locating each individual counted in the census at their home address - sometimes even before the city’s street grid was fully in place.

Using preserved historical maps, city directories, and census records, the Digital Atlas recreates the lived geographies of New Yorkers by race, gender, birthplace, and occupation. This interactive platform invites users to explore both big-picture trends and local stories, down to individual buildings and blocks. With plans to expand to all five boroughs and up to the 1940 census, the Atlas allows you to uncover countless narratives embedded within the city’s rich past. Whether you’re exploring case studies or creating your own visual stories, this is a unique tool for diving deep into the urban history of New York.

If you live in Manhattan or Broadway the map also provides you with a unique insight into the history of your own home. If your home existed in 1850 ( or 1880 or 1910) you can find your building on the map and discover who was actually living there over 150 years ago, including information on their race, gender, place of birth and their occupations. 

For a deeper look at the design and technical enhancements behind Mapping Historical New York, the Stamen team offers a comprehensive overview in their article, Telling the Story of Changing Populations With Mapping Historical New York: A Digital Atlas. This post details Stamen's collaboration with Columbia University’s Center for Spatial Research, outlining how they used advanced cartographic techniques and interactive features to make the historical census data accessible and visually engaging for the map's users.

Who are Your Neighbors Donating to?

As you might expect the geographical patterns of political donations in the USA closely resemble the geographical patterns seen in actual elections. A new map from the Washington Post reveals that urban Americans tend to donate in larger numbers to the Democrats while the Republicans get most of their political donations from rural voters. 

The interactive map in See how your neighborhood is giving to Trump and Harris visualizes the number of donors to Biden/Harris and Trump in each zipcode area and the amount donated to each.The geographical divide between Democratic and Republican donors mirrors broader political and demographic trends in American politics. Urban areas, with their more diverse and younger populations, have long been strongholds for Democrats, and this pattern is clear in the distribution of political donations. 

The Washington Post's map shows that in nearly every major city, from New York to Los Angeles, donations overwhelmingly favored Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris ticket. Conversely, rural areas show strong financial support for former President Donald Trump.

The Post's own analysis of the map explores in more detail the demographic patterns in political donations in the three battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia.

What is Your Climate Risk?

The German Foreign Office has released a new interactive map which visualizes climate and conflict risks around the world. The Climate Conflict Vulnerability Index Map identifies areas around the world where climate change and conflicts are likely to happen, and where people are especially vulnerable to these risks.

How It Works

The CCVI is built on three key factors:

1. Climate: Looks at the risks caused by changes in weather, such as more intense storms, droughts, or floods.
2. Conflict: Considers places where there is a higher chance of violence or conflict.
3. Vulnerability: Focuses on how vulnerable people are based on things like poverty, poor infrastructure, or limited resources.

The tool combines all this data to figure out which regions are most at risk. It’s updated every three months and uses a system that breaks the world into small squares (about 55 km by 55 km) to analyze risks. If you hover over any of these squares on the map you can view each of the Climate, Conflict and Vulnerability Index scores for that region. You can also select either Climate, Conflict or Vulnerability form the map menu to view where in the world these risks are highest.

Why It Was Made

The CCVI was developed with support from the German government to help researchers, governments, and organizations understand where climate change and conflicts are most likely to create the biggest problems, so they can plan and take action to help those areas.

In short, the map shows where climate change and conflict might hit hardest, helping organisations and governments figure out how best to respond to these challenges.

Via: Data Vis Dispatch

Racial Covenants in Santa Clara Properties

Despite being ruled unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948, racially restrictive covenants - legal clauses that barred individuals of certain racial backgrounds from purchasing or occupying homes - still persist in property records across Santa Clara County. Now a new interactive map predicts where in Santa Clara County these racially restrictive covenants are most likely to still exist in property records.

A recent study (PDF) conducted by researchers from Stanford University and Princeton University, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, has revealed that by 1950, an estimated one in four properties in the county was subject to these discriminatory covenants. Although these covenants are no longer legally enforceable, they remain embedded in millions of property deeds. 

Potential homebuyers in Santa Clara County are still often confronted with these historical documents during the purchasing process, where they must sign papers acknowledging the existence of outdated racial restrictions, even though they are constitutionally void. This can be a jarring experience for buyers, a stark reminder of the deep-rooted history of racial discrimination in housing.

With over 24 million property deed documents in Santa Clara County alone, the scale of the problem is immense. Identifying and removing these covenants manually is a huge task, which is why the researchers developed an innovative artificial intelligence tool to detect and flag racially restrictive covenants. The AI system, which has already saved thousands of hours of manual labor, offers a new pathway to identify and ultimately remove these discriminatory clauses from property records.

An interactive map has been released as a result of the study to illustrate where clusters of racially restrictive covenants still persist in housing records. The study was able "to identify which developers and individuals were instrumental in (the) proliferation" of racial covenants. The map shows the locations of these developments using scaled circles, with the size of the circles showing the number of racially restrictive covenants in each development.

The study’s findings have highlighted not only the prevalence of these covenants but also their geographic clustering across the county. Many neighborhoods were deliberately designed to exclude non-white residents, particularly during the housing boom of the early 20th century. Today, this legacy continues to affect how historical records are handled, and the process of identifying and redacting these covenants is both urgent and complex.

Also See

Mapping Housing Segregation in the United States

Which Airports are also Filetypes?

There is something joyfully silly about Filetypes / Airports that I love. You’ll probably visit this map for only a few minutes and then never return - but you’ll definitely remember it fondly for a long time.

The premise of Filetypes / Airports is very simple: it’s an interactive map that shows the locations of airports around the world whose airport codes also happen to be file extension types. For example, the airport code for Sherman Army Airfield is FLV, which is also the extension for Flash Video filetypes. So, Sherman Army Airfield appears on the map.

The wonderful sense of fun on Filetypes / Airports is enhanced by the nostalgic Windows 95 aesthetic used throughout the site. The retro computer style is a perfect match for the map’s iconography. The gray backgrounds and limited color palette of Windows 95 are also mimicked in the map's styled tiles, adding to the charm.

Map enthusiasts might enjoy zooming in on Iraq, where you can find Mosul International Airport. Fittingly, this airport’s code is OSM - a nod to OpenStreetMap. Considering that Switcheristic Telecommunications (the map's creators) acknowledged OpenStreetMap on the map itself, you’d think they would have had the decency not to remove the OpenStreetMap copyright attribution from the map.

You Are HERE

Sony Pictures has launched a unique interactive experience to promote its upcoming film, Here. By entering your address into You Are Here, you can explore your neighborhood’s history over the last 500 years.

Here, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, is based on Richard McGuire’s acclaimed graphic novel. The film spans multiple generations, focusing on a single place across time. To deepen audiences' connection to the film’s themes of time, memory, and place, Sony's You Are Here campaign invites users to explore their personal "here" through a customized, immersive neighborhood history powered by Google Maps.

By entering the address of your current or childhood home into You Are Here, you can discover more about your area’s past. The site, using Google Maps, presents your home with photorealistic 3D renderings and street views. Accompanying these map views are links that let users explore their neighborhood's history from 500, 300, 100, and 50 years ago.

While the concept of an interactive map that reveals the history of any U.S. location is fantastic, You Are Here ultimately feels like little more than marketing fluff. The application provides just enough historical content to pique your interest but ultimately offers very limited information. At the very least, it could have included links to more in-depth resources elsewhere on the web. Hopefully the actual film offers a more rewarding experience than the map.

A Nightmare on View Street

Are you ready for a unique ghostbusting adventure? Today, Tripgeo is releasing a new online game that invites you to explore the spine-chilling mysteries lurking behind some of the world’s most iconic landmarks!

A Nightmare on View Street is a geo-guessing game that challenges you to identify famous locations around the world that have become haunted by creatures from beyond the mortal realm.

As Halloween night approaches, some of the most renowned sites around the world have become haunted. Strange monsters, spine-chilling apparitions, and ghastly ghoulies are starting to emerge from the shadows. Your job is to discover where these spooky apparitions are hiding by studying a series of "Street View" videos. Look for the visual clues in each video and then pinpoint its location on a map. You might think of it as a haunted GeoGuessr-type game - with ghosts.

So are you sharp enough to uncover these hidden haunts? You will earn points in each of the five rounds of A Nightmare on View Street, based on how close your guess is to the correct location. At the end of all five rounds, you will receive an overall score based on your ghostbusting performance. Will you earn enough points to become an elite geo-guessing ghostbuster?

More ghastly videos will be added to the map every day, from now until Halloween!

Scrambled Maps for Mobile

Scrambled Maps Just Got a Mobile Makeover, Thanks to TripGeo!

Great news for puzzle lovers! TripGeo has been hard at work to make Scrambled Maps even better - now fully optimized for mobile devices. If you love solving map challenges, you can now take Scrambled Maps with you wherever you go, right on your phone!

For those new to the game, Scrambled Maps is a fun daily challenge where you’re presented with a jumbled city map from somewhere in the world. Your mission? Unscramble the tiles to restore the map to its original layout. Sounds simple, right? But every day brings a new city and a fresh challenge to keep you on your toes.

Thanks to TripGeo’s latest updates, Scrambled Maps is now smoother and more flexible across all devices. Whether you’re playing on your phone, tablet, or desktop, the game will automatically adjust to fit your screen size. No more squinting or awkward zooming! Plus, you can now customize the grid size - deciding how many vertical and horizontal map tiles you want to unscramble for an added layer of challenge.

But that’s not all! A few extra tweaks have been thrown in to make the game even more enjoyable. You’ll now see handy green ticks to show which tiles you’ve placed correctly, and once you solve the puzzle, you’ll get a breakdown of how many moves it took to complete that day’s map.

So, if you’re up for a daily brain teaser and want to sharpen your map skills, Scrambled Maps is ready for you - anytime, anywhere. 

Happy unscrambling!

The 2024 #30DayMapChallenge

Are you ready for the 2024 #30DayMapChallenge? In just over two weeks the 2024 #30DayMapChallenge will begin, and it's your chance to join thousands of cartographers worldwide in one of the most exciting mapping events of the year! Topi Tjukanov has just revealed this year's calendar of daily map challenge categories on the #30DayMapChallenge website.

For the past four years, this global event has brought together cartographers, hobbyists, and map-lovers alike, who challenge themselves to craft a unique map every day throughout November. Each day comes with a new theme to inspire your creativity - whether it’s something abstract, artistic, or data-driven. It's not just about making maps; it's about sharing them with the world. Participants can showcase their maps on social media using the #30DayMapChallenge hashtag and connect with the growing community of map enthusiasts.

Since its launch in 2019, over 50,000 maps have been created as part of the challenge! But don’t worry - you don’t have to create a new map every single day if you don't want to. Whether you want to tackle all 30 prompts or just a few, you’re free to join in whenever inspiration strikes. The official guidelines even encourage a bit of planning: "You can prepare the maps beforehand, but the main idea is to publish maps on the dedicated days." Plus, there’s no limit to how you create your maps. Hand-draw them, use digital tools, or experiment with any other technique that suits your style.

Inside the Maya Temples of Copan

Mused has released another amazing virtual tour. Explore the Maya Temples at Copán Ruinas is an extraordinary 'Street View' tour of the Maya temples at Copan, one of the most significant archaeological sites of the ancient world. 

Uncover Copan’s Ancient Past

Nestled in the lush jungles of western Honduras, Copan was once a thriving center of Maya culture, renowned for its artistic achievements, monumental temples, and complex understanding of astronomy. This tour offers a rare opportunity to explore the sacred spaces of Copan from the comfort of your home, including parts of the site usually hidden from the public eye. 

Beneath the towering stone structures at Copan Ruinas lies a network of ancient tunnels, which have now been digitally preserved and made accessible online for the first time, revealing secrets of a civilization that flourished over 1,600 years ago. The virtual tour provides an immersive look into Copan’s rich past, starting with the earliest known structures dating back to the 5th century CE. 

Each new generation of Maya rulers built over the temples of their predecessors, creating a city of nested monuments - what archaeologists liken to "Russian nesting dolls." The tour reveals how these layers of construction were not just architectural feats, but also reflections of the political and spiritual continuity that defined Maya society.

The Virtual Experience

Among the highlights of this tour are three significant structures: the Margarita Structure, the Rosalila Temple, and the famous Hieroglyphic Stairway. Each of these monuments offers a glimpse into the spiritual and dynastic power of the Maya rulers. The Margarita Structure, adorned with intricate carvings of sacred birds, honors Copan's founder, K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo’. The Rosalila Temple, perfectly preserved beneath later constructions, stands as a testament to Maya artistry with its vibrant stucco colors and detailed carvings. Meanwhile, the Hieroglyphic Stairway, the longest Maya inscription in existence, chronicles the lineage of Copan’s rulers in stunning detail.

While the visible structures of Copan are magnificent, the virtual tour goes deeper - literally - into the tunnels where archaeologists have uncovered hidden chambers and ancient artifacts. These tunnels, which are normally closed to the public, provide insight into the earlier phases of Copan’s development, long before the grand temples we see today were constructed. This virtual experience not only showcases the extraordinary craftsmanship of the Maya but also highlights the importance of digital preservation in safeguarding these fragile treasures for future generations.

Bringing the Past to Life with 3D Technology

The online tour of the Maya temples at Copan was created using advanced 3D scanning techniques and the Matterport SDK, combined with the Three.js JavaScript library for rendering. Over the course of two years, a dedicated team worked onsite to gather detailed imagery and spatial data from the ancient tunnels and temples using high-precision scanners. This data was then processed into 3D models, allowing for accurate, immersive virtual representations of the site. The Matterport SDK was used to integrate these models into an interactive, web-based platform, while Three.js facilitated the smooth rendering of the complex geometries and textures, enabling users to explore Copan’s hidden architectural layers and intricate carvings, almost as if walking through the site in real life.

Mused has previously published a number of amazing virtual tours of other important archeological sites around the world. These include:

The Tomb of Ramesses I
The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Tomb of Nefertari

Even more virtual tours can be found via the Mused home page.

The A-Z Music Map

Step into the heart of Swinging London and let its iconic music lead you through the streets of a city alive with creativity, rebellion, and freedom. The 'London A to Z 1962-1973' interactive map will take you on a sonic journey through the London locations that helped shape one of the most exciting periods in music history.

LONDON A to Z 1962-1973 is an interactive map of songs about London from the Swinging 60s. During the 60s, London was at the heart of a global cultural revolution. As a symbol of youthful energy and creativity, the city represented freedom and opportunity. Many artists were drawn to this vibrant atmosphere and naturally incorporated London’s spirit into their music. Now, you can experience that creative energy for yourself by exploring the tracks on the London A to Z map.

All the songs featured on the map come from a new compilation album published by Ace Records, titled Bob Stanley Presents: London A to Z (1962-1973). The album includes tracks from artists such as Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Jethro Tull, and Marianne Faithfull (though it seems Ace Records couldn't secure the rights to Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks!). As the title suggests, all the songs on the album reference a location or landmark in London. 

Each song on the album is represented on the London A to Z map by a pin. When you click on a marker, you can listen to a 30-second excerpt from the song. If you enjoy the selections, you can purchase the full album from Ace Records. For me, discovering a Nick Drake song I’d never heard before was like finding a hidden treasure. What might you find with the new musical London A to Z?

What is Your Neighborhood Scare Score?

The Spookiest ZIP Codes in the U.S.

As Halloween approaches, many of us are stocking up on candy, preparing costumes, and decking our homes with spooky décor. But did you know that how much candy, costumes, and Halloween decorations you buy might reveal just how into Halloween your neighborhood is? That’s the concept behind Instacart’s brand-new interactive map, Explore America’s Haunts, which ranks the Halloween-ness of every ZIP code based on its “Scare Score.”

So, what exactly is a Scare Score, and how does it work?

What’s a Scare Score?

Instacart created the Scare Score using Halloween-related purchase data from October 2023. The score is based on three key factors:

Total candy sold: Instacart looked at the total number of ounces of candy delivered in each ZIP code.

Costume sales: The total number of Halloween costume items sold, broken down per person in each area.

Halloween décor: The number of spooky decorations purchased, also calculated per person.

These data points combine to give each ZIP code a customized “Scare Score” that reflects just how into Halloween its residents are!

Local Favorites and Top-Sellers: Your ZIP Code’s Unique Flavor

In addition to Scare Scores, Instacart also shares insights into which candies are most popular in each ZIP code. They did this by identifying the top-sellers (based on the total weight of candy delivered) and local favorites, which are candies that sold at a higher rate in your area compared to the national average.

For example, if your ZIP code can’t get enough of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or perhaps has a soft spot for Sour Patch Kids, that local candy preference will show up on the map. This gives a fun and unique perspective on how Halloween tastes differ from one place to another.

Explore America’s Haunts: Discover the Spirit of Halloween Across the Country

Whether you’re curious to see how your neighborhood stacks up or you want to explore the spookiest ZIP codes in America, Explore America’s Haunts offers a fun and interactive way to dive into Halloween trends. The map not only ranks each area based on its Scare Score but also highlights candy favorites, allowing you to get a feel for how different regions celebrate the holiday.

Check out the map for yourself, and see if your neighborhood makes the list of the country’s most haunted haunts this Halloween season!

(FYI: I had to use a web-proxy to view Explore America's Haunts because it appears to be "configured to block access from your country".)

Open Places Map

Welcome to OpenPlacesMap!

Are you bored of living in Plainville, USA? Don't you wish your hometown had a more exciting name? Now you can make it happen! OpenPlacesMap is an interactive map that empowers you to redefine your neighborhood. Simply click on any country, state, city, or neighborhood label and change its name to anything you want! 

Now you can live in Gotham City, Hogwarts, or Middle Earth - just by changing your town's name on OpenPlacesMap! Of course, be prepared: someone else just might change your town's name to Mordor, Skull Island, or Beyond the Wall.

Background

OpenPlacesMap is my latest weekend project. I have had the idea for creating a map with editable place-name labels for a long time. However, I have always been a little wary of how the map might be abused. I also haven't had access to a backend server to store the user data.

With Glitch's full range of project management tools, everybody and anybody now has easy access to collaborative web app development without the hassle of managing servers or databases. By leveraging Glitch's real-time editing features and built-in hosting, I was able to turn this concept into a fully functional map where users can rename any location instantly. 

OpenPlacesMap uses the badwords list to implement a basic profanity filter for the map. I also have the ability to remove any abusive language, and if the map becomes too toxic, I can always take it down.

Here’s a brief "how-to" guide explaining how the map was created:

Initialize the Map

OpenLabelMap is powered by MapLibre GL JS with OpenFreeMap tiles. These tiles are based on OpenStreetMap (OSM) data and allow us to display a beautiful, open-source map.

Expressions

MapLibre Expressions allow developers to style the data in vector map tiles based on conditions. In OpenLabelMap, we use expressions to filter the place name labels in the OpenFreeMap map tiles. Here are the OpenFreeMap label layers that we use expressions to style: 

const placeNameLayers = [
   
 'label_other',
  
  'label_city_capital',
   
 'label_city',
  
  'label_town',
   
 'label_village',
   
 'label_state',
  
  'label_country_1',
   
 'label_country_2',
   
 'label_country_3',
];

This array defines all the different OpenFreeMap layers that contain place names. Using expressions, we can allow map users to interact with these layers and change the names displayed.

Persisting User Data with Node.js

Once a map user clicks on a place name label, they can enter an alternative name. To store and retrieve user-defined names, OpenLabelMap uses a Node.js server with Express. The server handles API requests from the client to save and fetch the user-edited place names. When the page loads, the client fetches the previously saved names from the server and updates the map labels accordingly. This ensures that the user-defined place names are displayed every time the map is loaded.

Conclusion 

By combining MapLibre GL JS, OpenFreeMap tiles, and a Node.js backend, it is possible to create a dynamic map that allows users to interact with place names, customize them, and save those changes for future use.

If you’re interested in building a similar project, you can access and clone the full-code on the OpenLabelMap Glitch edit page. You can expand on it by adding more customization options, different types of layers, or even advanced features like user authentication or data analytics. By cloning the project on Glitch, you can even let Glitch handle the Node.js server and Express backend.

Florida's Waffle House Index Score

In the wake of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast with devastating winds and flooding, emergency responders are working to assess the damage. One unconventional but, some argue, effective tool for gauging the situation is the "Waffle House Index," a metric used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to evaluate the severity of storms and guide disaster recovery efforts.

Named after the resilient Southern restaurant chain, the Waffle House Index has, in the past, proven useful in post-storm assessments and could now play a role in the recovery process following Hurricane Milton.

Riley Walz has created what is the first map to track the “Waffle House Index” in real-time. His Waffle House Index map currently shows that 106 Waffle House restaurants are closed in Florida. Waffle House, which operates extensively across the southern U.S. where hurricanes are frequent, has developed strong risk management and disaster preparedness strategies. The chain is known for staying operational during extreme weather and quickly reopening, often with a limited menu, after major storms like Hurricane Milton.

Dan Stoneking, FEMA’s director of external affairs, explains:

“The Waffle House test doesn't just tell us how quickly a business might rebound – it also tells us how the larger community is faring. The sooner restaurants, grocery stores, and banks can reopen, the sooner local economies will start generating revenue again – signaling a stronger recovery for that community."

The Waffle House Index map can therefore serve as a useful tool for assessing which areas in Florida are struggling to recover from Hurricane Milton, if used alongside a broader recovery strategy.

Real-Time Animated Wind Maps

In recent weeks, ferocious winds have dominated the headlines. The devastating impact of Hurricane Milton, arriving so soon after Hurricane Helene rampaged through Florida, has left many communities reeling from the destructive power of these tropical storm-force winds. 

In the last fortnight, I've often found myself drawn to Earth Nullschool's real-time map of global wind conditions. At the time of writing, Earth Nullschool shows the eye of Hurricane Milton centered northwest of Orlando (animated map above).

Earth Nullschool is just one of several interactive maps providing near real-time maps of current wind conditions. Windfinder uses data from over 20,000 weather stations worldwide, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to provide real-time wind reports. The map offers real-time and forecasted wind speeds, wind direction, air temperature, and other meteorological data, with global wind forecasts available up to 10 days in advance.

Windy.com also offers a real-time map of global weather conditions. Windy.com includes a timeline feature that allows users to view an animated forecast of the upcoming week's wind patterns. This feature can help you track Hurricane Milton as it follows its predicted path out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Animal Migration Tracking

The Atlas of Ungulate Migration

Ungulates, large herbivorous mammals with hooves, are a vital part of many ecosystems across the globe. These animals, including species like wildebeest, caribou, elk, and zebra, often migrate seasonally over vast distances. These migrations play a crucial role in maintaining the resilience of ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, and even sustaining local economies. However, human activities have increasingly disrupted the natural migratory routes of animals. As a result, tracking ungulate migration has become an essential tool for conservation efforts aimed at preserving both the animals and the ecosystems they depend on.

The UN has now launched a new interactive map, the Atlas of Ungulate Migration, to serve as a vital resource for tracking and conserving ungulate migrations across the globe. Powered by detailed GPS tracking data, this repository of migration maps is designed to inform conservation planning, infrastructure development, and policymaking efforts.

By providing insights into the migratory paths of some of the world's most iconic species - such as the Serengeti wildebeest, African elephants, and the Central Asian saiga - the Atlas allows stakeholders to make evidence-based decisions that balance development with environmental preservation.

Understanding Ungulate Migration and its Importance

Ungulate migration refers to the seasonal movements of hooved animals that traverse vast landscapes in search of food, water, or suitable climates. In temperate regions, animals often move between summer and winter ranges, while in tropical areas, they follow the availability of water between dry and rainy seasons. These migrations are essential for the survival of species, influencing the health of ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, and even sustaining rural economies through hunting and ecotourism.

However, human activities, such as urban development, road construction, and agricultural expansion, have increasingly fragmented the landscapes that ungulates rely on. This has disrupted migration routes, leading to population declines in species like bison, wildebeest, and elk. In this context, the Atlas of Ungulate Migration plays a crucial role by mapping out these routes and highlighting areas where conservation efforts are most needed.

Tracking the Migratory Routes of Bird Species

The eBird Status and Trends maps offer another powerful tool for understanding wildlife movements, complementing the insights provided by the Atlas of Ungulate Migration. These maps, developed by the eBird Science team, utilize sophisticated statistical models and machine learning to analyze vast datasets, including raw bird observation data submitted by the public and satellite imagery from NASA, NOAA, and USGS. By integrating these sources, eBird creates predictive visualizations that showcase bird migration patterns, population trends, and range boundaries with high precision. This information helps decision-makers, scientists, and birders alike to better understand the dynamics of bird populations throughout the year.

One of the key features of these tools is the eBird Trends maps, which reveal long-term patterns in bird abundance. These maps show where certain bird species have been increasing or decreasing since 2007, offering the most detailed insights available on bird population changes. Such data is invaluable for conservationists working to reverse the widespread declines in bird populations by targeting the areas where species are most at risk.

By visualizing seasonal abundance patterns, these maps enhance our understanding of bird biology and migration ecology. The animations generated from this data are not only mesmerizing but also serve as practical tools for guiding conservation efforts, helping scientists and policymakers protect critical habitats along migratory routes.

The American Election & the Rest of the World

With the world closely watching the U.S. 2024 election, what could a Trump or Harris presidency mean for international stability? From rising tensions in Eastern Europe to critical climate action, the global implications of the U.S. election stretch far beyond American borders.

The European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) has been exploring "how a Trump or a Harris presidency would affect key flashpoints around the world." The positions of the Democratic and Republican candidates for the U.S. Presidency differ significantly on many issues, particularly regarding how the U.S. should engage with the rest of the world.

In The US elections: what choices for Europe?, the EUISS outlines a number of key global flashpoints and examines the potential impacts on these areas if either Trump or Harris wins next month's election. Despite the title, this analysis covers flashpoints beyond Europe, many of which are global in nature.

As readers scroll through the EUISS article, an interactive globe spins and zooms in on each flashpoint in turn, highlighting how that area could be affected by the foreign policies of Trump or Harris. The flashpoints discussed include the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S.-EU trade relations, the Israel-Hamas war, and global climate change.

While the EUISS analysis centers on an EU perspective, it provides a compelling synopsis of each candidate's foreign policy vision. And with global media attention often locked on domestic issues, the international consequences of the 2024 U.S. election could prove to be just as important. Whether it's maintaining stability in Europe or confronting global climate challenges, the next U.S. president will have a profound influence on the future of international relations.

Guess Where You Are

I am currently ranked Number One in the world in the game GuessWhereYouAre. However, I suspect I won't stay on top of the leaderboard for long, especially after other players discover this exciting new Street View game.

GuessWhereYouAre is a fun and engaging location-based game that places players in random spots around the world using Street View. Your goal is to explore your surroundings and figure out where you are by navigating the virtual environment and using the clues you find.

How to play:

1. Explore your surroundings: Use the Street View controls to move around and investigate the area. Look for signs, landmarks, or any visual hints that could reveal your location.


2. Make a guess: Once you feel confident, click on the mini map and choose where you think you are. Confirm your selection when you're ready.


3. Earn points: After making your guess, you'll be awarded points based on how accurate your guess was to the actual location. The closer you are, the higher your score!


4. Rank Up!: Increase your total points to rank up and reach new levels. 

Additionally, GuessWhereYouAre offers two multiplayer modes. Invite one or more friends (up to 100) and you can play either cooperatively as a team or compete in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all live challenge.

If you enjoy playing GuessWhereYouAre then you might also enjoy the six other Street View games listed in the Maps Mania post Six Free Alternatives to GeoGuessr.

The Nicknames of America

Some U.S. cities have very quirky nicknames. Apparently, the citizens of Auburn, Alabama like to call their town the 'Armpit of the Confederacy'. While their nearby neighbors in Gordo, Alabama call their home the 'Armpit of Civilization'. 

Elmwood and Belleville in Wisconsin both claim to be the 'UFO Capital of the World' (presumably because of all the strange, alien-looking folk living in both towns). White Center in Washington likes to be affectionately known as 'Rat City' and Chatsworth, California has adopted the moniker 'San Pornando'.

You can find these five city nicknames and the nicknames of around 1,600 other cities on my new interactive US Nicknames Map.

I'll admit that browsing U.S. city nicknames will probably have limited appeal. However, I actually made the map as an example of overcoming a couple of issues I discovered this week when using OpenFreeMap and Versa Tiles with MapLibre.

Both OpenFreeMap and Versa Tiles are fantastic, free map-tiles that can be used with the MapLibre GL mapping library. This week, however, I discovered a couple of issues with using OpenFreeMap and Versa Tiles with expressions and with variable label placement with MapLibre. To be clear, this is not a problem with either OpenFreeMap or Versa Tiles, but the problem arises because the MapLibre documentation uses different map-tiles in their example maps.

In both cases, the problems with the MapLibre example maps are that they attempt to reference fonts which are not present in the OpenFreeMap and Versa Tiles map styles. For example, if I copy the code for the variable label placement map and attempt to swap in the OpenFreeMap Liberty map style as the tile layer, then I get this 404 error:  'https://tiles.openfreemap.org/fonts/Open%20Sans%20Regular,Arial%20Unicode%20MS%20Regular/0-255.pbf 404 (Not Found)'. 

Both OpenFreeMap and Versa Tiles use Noto Sans instead of Arial as the font for the map labels. So when you want to use variable label placement or use expressions to change map labels (as I am doing with my US Nicknames Map) you need to point the map to use the available font. So, for example, for the OpenFreeMap Liberty map style we have to change the demo code to add a map layer to: 

'layout': {
'text-field': ['get', 'description'],
'text-font': ['Noto Sans Regular'], // Specify the font here
'text-variable-anchor': ['top', 'bottom', 'left', 'right'],
'text-radial-offset': 0.5,
'text-justify': 'auto',
'icon-image': ['concat', ['get', 'icon'], '_15']
}

Similarly, if you check out the source code in my US Nicknames Map, you will see that the 'map.addLayer' custom layer also references "text-font": ["Noto Sans Regular"].

Finding Your Coordinate Twins

Did you know San Francisco shares the same latitude as Fukushima, Japan? Or that Chicago lines up with Rome? These surprising global connections can now be explored with a fun new interactive map that reveals your latitude and longitude twins from across the world!

Introducing LatLon Connect - an interactive tool that lets you discover cities around the globe that sit on the same latitude or longitude as your hometown. Simply enter your location, and the map will display two lines: one horizontal (latitude) and one vertical (longitude). As you explore, you'll see other cities marked with blue pins that share the same coordinates.

What makes the map so fascinating is that cities which share the same latitude can experience vastly different climates! For example, Chicago and Rome may line up on the map, but they’re worlds apart when it comes to weather. According to Wikipedia's List of Cities by Average Temperature, Chicago’s average yearly temperature sits at a chilly 11.3°C (52.4°F), while Rome enjoys a balmy 15.2°C (59.4°F).

Curious to find out which cities share your latitude or longitude? It’s easy to get started with LatLon Connect. Simply enter your hometown or a city of interest, and watch as the map highlights all the places around the globe that are your geographic twins.

If you’re feeling extra adventurous you can also explore where you would end up if you dug straight down through the Earth and popped out on the other side. If LatLon Connect has sparked your curiosity, you’ll love the Antipodes Map. Simply enter your location, and this fun tool will show you what’s directly on the opposite side of the Earth from where you are. 

If you have Transmarine Dreams then you can also discover what locations lie directly beyond the sea from any coastal location around the world. Click on any coastline location on Andy Woodruff's Beyond the Sea interactive map to find all the 'straight-line views' across the ocean (that is - if you ignore the curvature of the Earth and your imperfect vision).  

Mapping Every US Election Since 1840

The Republican Party has won the popular vote in only one Presidential Election in the last 35 years. Since 1989 only George W. Bush (in 2004) has won the popular vote for the Republicans - and in that election Bush benefited from being the incumbent.

A newly released visualization from the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab highlights the dwindling appeal of the Republican Party to most Americans in the 21st Century. The DSL's Electing the President interactive map shows the results of every presidential election since 1840, offering a comprehensive look at the electoral landscape over time. Unlike many historical election maps, Electing the President uniquely integrates the results of the popular vote alongside the electoral college outcomes, providing a more nuanced understanding of voter preferences. This feature allows users to see not only who won the presidency but also how much support they garnered from the general electorate. 

Using the map you can navigate to any US Presidential election and explore both the electoral college winner and the winner of the popular vote. For instance, users can explore how presidential candidates like William Henry Harrison, who defeated Martin Van Buren in 1840 to become the 9th President of the United States (albeit for a tragically brief term of just one month), fared in terms of popular support. By navigating through the years, one can track shifts in political alignment and public sentiment, illustrating the evolving dynamics of American electoral politics and the challenges faced by parties in capturing the collective will of the populace.

Electing the President is the latest addition to the American Panorama project, an ever growing historical atlas of the United States. The project includes a number of popular interactive maps including Mapping Inequality (the history of redlining), and Photogrammar, mapping historical photographs taken between 1935 and 1944.

Mapping the Political Landscape

Waves of Interest is a deep dive into Google search trends during election years. This beautiful data visualization maps out which political topics capture the attention of Americans during US election years. And where!

By using the clever visual metaphor of a topographic map Waves of Interest transforms political interest into an intuitive landscape. The visualization reveals the fall and rise in search interest of 50 different political topics - using isolines to show where in the United States each issue is being most and least searched for on Google. For example, you can watch how interest in immigration has shifted and evolved since 2004 in the animated map above.

Percentage numbers are displayed on the map to indicate the difference in search interest in an area compared to the national average. The homepage of Waves of Interest presents a small multiple visualization of 50 different political topics. On these maps arrow symbols are used to show how much interest in each subject has grown or shrunk since 2020. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly inflation is the issue that has shown the biggest surge in interest since the last U.S. Presidential election. Student loans is the political topic that has fallen the most in terms of search interest since 2020. 

Tracking Satellites in 3D

searching & zooming in on individual satellites

Exploring the Final Frontier with Keep Track

KeepTrack is an innovative platform that allows users to monitor satellites orbiting Earth in real-time. At its core is a 3D interactive map that not only shows you where satellites are at the moment but also provides advanced analytics and visualizations to study their orbits and interactions in space. Using KeepTrack, you can dive into the world of astrodynamics and explore the trajectories of thousands of satellites from the comfort of your own home.

Real-Time Satellite Tracking

One of KeepTrack’s standout features is its real-time orbital tracking. With this, you can follow satellites as they move through space, viewing their paths in beautifully rendered 3D.

You can search for satellites by name using the search ('?') button at the top-right of the screen. Enter the name of an individual satellite, and KeepTrack will automatically zoom in to reveal the 3D model of the selected satellite along with its orbital track around Earth.

KeepTrack visualizes more than 37,000 satellites and debris objects as they orbit the Earth, each of which you can track in real-time. The app offers a vast range of options for tracking and viewing the locations of these satellites, simulating their break-up, and understanding the distribution of satellite space debris.

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