The AI Mapper and the AI Map Doctor

Real-Time Earthquakes Map made by Web Mapper GPT

If you’re new to mapmaking, two recently released AI tools can help you create interactive maps with little or no coding or cartographic expertise. These tools - Web-Mapper GPT and Map Doctor GPT - are designed to simplify both the technical and design aspects of map creation, making it easier than ever for beginners to produce professional-looking maps.

The map at the top of this post is a visualization of real-time earthquakes around the world. It was created by Web-Mapper GPT, a new AI tool developed by the Commission on Map Design of the International Cartographic Association.  

This AI tool can generate web maps from a simple prompt. According to the ICA, there is “no need to know how to code or handle datasets. In many cases, you don’t even need to have the dataset you want to map yet - it will attempt to find or build it for you.”

The real-time earthquake map was created in seconds by Web-Mapper GPT using one of its suggested prompts:

"Design an official looking map of real-time earthquake data with depth and magnitude represented symbolically. Please add appropriate data filters. Thanks!"

By default, Web-Mapper GPT used Leaflet.js to create this real-time earthquake map with live USGS data that it sourced automatically. With an additional prompt (“Change this to use MapLibre rather than Leaflet”), I was easily able to easily switch the map to a different mapping library.

Another tool, Map Doctor GPT, has been “trained by members of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) Commission on Map Design” to provide “expert advice to diagnose and enhance your map design.” However, this tool is “not a product of the ICA.”

Both Web-Mapper GPT and Map Doctor GPT are free to use, but you will need to have a registered account with ChatGPT.