switch2osm Make the switch to OpenStreetMap

A nice clean website promoting Open Street Map.

"switch2osm Make the switch to OpenStreetMap"

 

 

 

OpenStreetMap won’t charge you

OpenStreetMap is open data. We won’t charge for it – ever. Our licence says that you can always copy our data for free.

This data is made into the “map tiles” that you show on your site. You can do this yourself. Or you can find a specialist to do it: some will charge for this, some won’t. But OpenStreetMap itself will never charge you for the data.

Make the maps suit you

With other map providers, the map looks how the provider wants it to look. You might be able to do a bit of rudimentary recolouring. But it’s still their style of map, not yours.

With OpenStreetMap, you’re in control. Turning the data into tiles can be done any way you like. Want to emphasise cycle routes and play down motorways? No problem. (Most other maps don’t even have cycle routes.) Want to label subway stops but ignore bus stops? Easy.

It’s easier than you think

There’s no limit to what you can do with OpenStreetMap. Yet it needn’t take long to get started. You can switch to OSM in under an hour using tools like the easy Leaflet API and MapQuest Open’s free tiles. Read the rest of this site to get started with the possibilities.

Full Details on:

http://switch2osm.org/

 

Google Maps (UK) Finally Gets National Rail Info

Google Maps (UK) Finally Gets National Rail Info for public transport directions

Google Maps users in the United Kingdom can now finally get from one place to another with public transport including rail times (national rail data)

Example (as above):

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=49.706721,-7.23999&spn=4.440323,11.634521&t=v&z=7&vpsrc=6

note the at the bottom of the directions is a list of companies running the trains

Local agency information:
Contains more information on fares, schedules and service advisories

CrossCountry - Ticket prices

First ScotRail - Ticket prices

London Midland - Ticket prices

National Express Dundee

(now if only people could afford to travel by train....) 

source:

http://www.edparsons.com/2012/01/multi-modal-travel-planning-comes-to-google-maps/

North Yorkshire County Council Maps

North Yorkshire County Council Maps

One of the best UK County Council Maps sites that gives you all the information you are looking for on one page linking childcare to "out and about" - even weddings.

Access maps for road network information, including winter gritting route details.

http://maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/?mapcfg=Roads

Schools

http://maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/?mapcfg=Schools

Weddings

http://maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/?mapcfg=Weddings

Historical (with old maps)

http://maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/?mapcfg=historic_maps

Mapping Portal Index to all the maps:

http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6357

Low Emission Zone Map - London, UK

Low Emission Zone Map - London, UK

On 3rd January 2012 new legislation came into affect:

" from 3 January 2012 it will also affect the owners of larger vans, campers and minibuses first registered before January 2002. Larger motorhomes, first registered before 2006, will also have to comply. The rules affect diesel, not petrol engines.

If you've got such a vehicle, you will need to have an expensive particulate filter added to the exhaust system – or pay a £100 or £200 charge for every day you drive in the capital. If you don't, you'll incur a £500 fine."

Transport for London have a Google Based Map with Low Emission Zones included.

Tfl including Low Emission Zone Map

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/road/default.aspx?showLez=truehttp://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/road/default.aspx?showLez=true

More info:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/oct/21/london-low-emissions-zone-vans

Official Guidelines

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/lez/17700.aspx

More micro-blog posts on twitter by @mapperz

OpenStreetMap: A Year of Edits 2011

OpenStreetMap: A Year of Edits 2011

OpenStreetMap: A Year of Edits 2011 from Derick Rethans on Vimeo.

Open Street Map also had a target of $15,000 for a new server, this target was completed on 24th December 2011 and some. Thanks to all the donators.

http://donate.openstreetmap.org/server2011/

Keep on editing and improve that map data. 

Source: http://opengeodata.org/weekly-osm-summary-33

Google Vector Layers (Project)

Google Vector Layers (Project)

*This is an open source project so enhancements and patches are encouraged.

Google Vector Layers allows you to easily add one or more vector layers from a number of different geo web services to a Google Maps API based application.

Overlaying custom vector layers (CartoDB) on-top of Google Maps - An excellent use of geojason

How it works?
Google Vector Layers works by listening to map events (pan and zoom) and then fetching features within the map bounds after each event. This method works great for data sets with lots of features that you want to interact with, but not load all at once.

Features:

• Multi-Provider Support - Current support for ArcGIS Server, Arc2Earth, Geocommons and CartoDB (with more in mind)
• Easy InfoWindow Templating - Create InfoWindow templates with a simple string with property names {mustached} or with a function that gets passed feature properties, and should return valid HTML for the InfoWindow
• Dynamic Data Support - Easily visualize live data that auto-updates at an interval that you set (and makes sense for your data’s update frequency)
• Simple, Powerful Symbology - Style your layers with a single symbology, a unique symbol for specific attribute values or set symbols to display if a feature’s attibutes are within a specific range. Or …
• Use Your Current Styles - If you’re using an ArcGIS Server layer you can use the styles you’ve already spent time creating in ArcMap
• Scale Dependent Rendering - You wouldn’t want to show lots of features with complex geometries at lower zoom levels - Using scaleRange lets you set the minimum and maximum scales a layer should be visbible

Planned Layers
    Google Fusion Tables
    GISCloud.com 

Examples with code

http://geojason.info/google-vector-layers/demos/

Created by
Jason Sanford

http://geojason.info/

Scotland Flood and Warnings Maps

Scotland Flood and Warnings Maps

Wind and Rain now hitting Scotland



















Indicative River & Coastal Flood Map [Not Real-Time]
http://go.mappoint.net/sepa/

Image source STV
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/286170-wind-turbine-bursts-into-flames-as-hurricane-force-winds-hit-scotland/

Met Office - Red Alert  Map (Beta)

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/beta/weather/warnings/

Know of  anymore maps/tools for Weather in Scotland - comment on blog.

Mapped: Every death on every road in Great Britain 1999-2010

Mapped: Every death on every road in Great Britain 1999-2010

The live map shows the location and detail of each collision and will be updated as information is received throughout the day.

 

 

"Britain has one of the best records in the world for road casualties. However, hundreds still die on the roads every year. In 2010, the police recorded 1,850 deaths, 22,660 people seriously injured and 184,138 who received light injuries.

About this data

Using official data recorded by police in Great Britain between 1999 and 2010, we have plotted every road collision in which someone died. In all, 36,371 fatalities are marked on this interactive map. You will also find partial data for Northern Ireland, for 2004-2009.

Detailed information about each crash is recorded by the police at the scene. It is subsequently transferred onto a computer database. This is available to researchers from the Economic and Social Data Service. As with any large collection of data, there will be errors and omissions that occur in this process and some of these will be found in this map. The BBC apologises for any distress or offence that may be caused by the inclusion of these errors."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15975720

Thanks to @neilhansonphoto

for the link.

qrd.by (GeoTagger for QR Codes)

qrd.by (GeoTagger for QR Codes)

Enter a location and URL and the service creates a QR code that embeds the geographically location 

The Service includes an API for customising your QR codes

"You can optionally attach geo information to your URL. This may be your company address or any location where you want to stick your QR Code. The parameter address is a human readable address string. The parameter lat (Latitude) and lng (Longitude) are used for further machine processing, e.g. to show the location on a map. The note parameter is used to add a detailed description about the location (e.g. 2nd floor, left door). You may add an image with the parameter image, that contains the path to the image." 

The http://qrd.by/hotspots provides a google map of geotagged QR codes that have been recently created and colours represent the number of times

Try it here

http://qrd.by/

API details

http://qrd.by/api

Map Creator Nokia

Map Creator Nokia

 

Similar to Google Maps Creator, Nokia are wanting neo-cartographers to help find in the gaps to NAVTEQ data.

 

Limited to only 11 previously unmapped countries including: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada. (compared to Google Map Maker has 188 countries listed currently)

"Already lets you draw streets and footpaths. You can also name new streets and add key information such as driving directions, vehicle type characteristics or paving type. But that’s just the start! You will soon also be able to add even more types of map content such as parks, forests, lakes and rivers. In short, all the types of content you are familiar with seeing in Nokia Maps."

Note: Though read the terms and conditions - want to use this data yourself? no chance Nokia reserve the right to include or exclude data.

So you might be better contributing to Open Street Map if you wan to have access to your own submitted data and access to raster and vector data create by many thousands of other mappers. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://maps.nokia.com/mapcreator

Recycled World Map

Recycled World Map

Creative way artist Susan Stockwell, who takes on large projects installations, sculptures, drawings and collages. Her art  focuses on issues of geo-politics, mapping, trade and global commerce. Titled “World” and consisting of a world map made of recycled computer components supplied a computer recycling company. The project was supported by Bedfordshire University, UK

The 'World' Recycled Map

North America and Greenland

http://www.susanstockwell.co.uk/

Source:

http://freshome.com/2011/11/14/depicting-the-future-world-map-made-of-recycled-computer-components/

Openptmap - Public Transport Map

Openptmap shows public transport lines. Depending on the zoom level, bus and tram lines are displayed in addition to the railway lines....

OpenPT Maps - London, UK with All available Public Transport Data overlaid.

Existing Features:

• Interactive Timetable function (timetables cover Europe)
• Zoom levels 4 - 17 (Large Scale Zooms)
• Line numbers

However, there are some useful new features also:

• Public transport network grid without background available
• Optional backgrounds: Mapnik and CycleMap
• Different background luminance (pale modes)
• Railway timetable on demand with mouse click (small squares)
• Aerial lifts are displayed

Openptmap editors can be useful in these situations:

• You added a new pt line to OSM and want to review it
• You want to get an overview of the Public Transport network without interfering background
• To find out the departure times of buses/trains at nearby stations 

More information
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Openptmap

Map (to London, UK)
http://openptmap.org/?zoom=13&lat=51.50238&lon=-0.16558&layers=000B0TTT

Nokia Maps WebGL (Beta)

Nokia Maps WebGL (Beta)

 

Nokia Maps WebGL - Toronto, Canada

Using Google Chrome Nokia Maps WebGL is extremely smooth and fast rendering 3D Buildings with photo-realistic  quality, on par with Google Earth Desktop

WebGL (Web-based Graphics Library) is software hat extends the capability of the Javascript programming language to allow it to generate interactive 3d Graphics within any compatible Web Browser. WebGL code executes on a computer Graphics card's(GPU), which supports shade rendering.

To try this - use the latest version of Google Chrome.

Nokia Maps WebGL:

http://maps3d.svc.nokia.com/webgl/

Source: http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/2011/10/nokia-maps-webgl.html

Multi-modal Trip Planner OSM - Portland

Multi-modal Trip Planner OSM - Portland

 

Underlying Data is Open Street Map

Multi-modal trip planners can create routes that mix different modes of travel. Not only can users plan a transit-only trip or a bike-only trip, they can also plan a mixed mode trip—like biking to the train and then continuing by train to their destinations.

Portland Regional Trip Planner
The new Portland Regional Trip Planner is a multi-modal trip planner funded by a pair of Metro Regional Travel Options Grants (2009-11 and 2011-13). October 15, 2011 is the formal launch date for TriMet’s beta release of the new trip planner and marks the first official deployment of a fully open source / open data trip planner by a major U.S. transit agency. RTP will replace TriMet’s transit-only trip planner after the beta test period of 3-6 months.

The technology behind RTP is called OpenTripPlanner. OpenTripPlanner’s worldwide developer community and broad user base has many advantages. As OpenTripPlanner improves, the Regional Trip Planner will improve. For more information about OpenTripPlanner, visit https://github.com/openplans/OpenTripPlanner/wiki/.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT (upcoming features)

These are some of the new exciting new features worked on due in a couple of weeks:

    Printer-friendly itineraries and maps
    Aerial imagery in the background (as a base map)
    Trips involving multiple transit agencies
    Elevation display for pedestrian trips
    Ability to modify biking trips by dragging the route on the map
    One-click switch between modes of travel for planned trips
    Incorporating real-time transit information instead of schedules
    Improved pedestrian routing using safety and accessibility data
    Driving directions to transit centers and park-and-ride facilities

Try the Trip Planner Map

http://rtp.trimet.org/