Archive For The “Web Mapping” Category

TileMill/MapBox Test

I’ve just today learned how to make a map with TileMill, using the tutorial found at http://mapbox.com/tilemill/docs/crashcourse/introduction/, and uploaded it to MapBox. I also installed a plugin that allows me to display MapBox maps within WordPress. You can use the mouse to pan and zoom from within the post. I’m looking forward to experimenting further […]

Read more »

The Many Faces of OpenStreetMap

Chances are, you’re not familiar with OpenStreetMap.  The market saturation of Google Maps and Bing Maps is such that they’re the tools we turn to, sometimes without even thinking.  Both these services have an incredibly beatiful and usable design aesthetic, which makes them easy to read.  There’s no real reason why you’d need a third […]

Read more »

Capturing the Quads

One of the most recognizable and beloved map products of all time is the USGS 7.5′ quadrangle topographic map, commonly known as a ‘quad’.  These maps have been available to buy in paper format for many years, and are considered a definitive reference by backcountry users, such as hikers, campers, and fishing enthusiasts.  These maps […]

Read more »

Cartography for the Web

“Cartographic Design for Web Maps” is a new blog post from the ESRI Mapping Center. Written by Aileen Buckley, it is a fairly good primer on the principles of cartographic design. Of particular interest was the visual efficiency chart. On a related note, it’s interesting to note that we’ve supposedly given up on the idea […]

Read more »

Cartography: Bing Maps

Normally, I’m not a fan of Microsoft’s graphic design work. Their UI design, especially in Windows, is barely passable, compared to the innovative work in Apple’s OS X and the KDE project. It seems reasonable that their mapping UI would be equally horrid, and that, along with the ubiquity of Google Maps, has relegated Bing […]

Read more »

Demonstrating the MapPress Plug-in

Adding a Google map to your website isn’t terribly difficult, as long as you’ve read some documentation and understand a little JavaScript.  But when it comes to displaying maps in a blog or CMS, adding custom JavaScript via a WYSIWYG interface can be tricky.  This site is powered by the WordPress CMS, and I’m not […]

Read more »

Decoding Mapping URLs

Almost everyone on the net has had the opportunity to use one of the big four web mapping sites: Google Maps, Bing Maps, Yahoo! Maps, and OpenStreetMap.  It’s possible to host a custom map on your own site using one of these services, as long as you have some programming experience.  But it only takes […]

Read more »

OpenStreetMap + Microsoft

Reblogged from Slashgeo: This is certainly major news. Steve Coast, the OpenStreetMap founder, joined Microsoft’s Bing Maps team. From the announcement: “Continuously innovating and improving our map data is a top priority and a massive undertaking at Bing. That’s why we’re excited to announce a new initiative to work with the OpenStreetMap project, a community […]

Read more »