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10 August 2010

MCZ Project Interactive Map

MCZ (Marine Conservation Zone) Project Interactive Map

MCZ Project Interactive Map
Find a huge amount of maritime information, this example shows bathmetry and ship wrecks along the coast of the SW England..

But this map project goes much further:

This project has been jointly funded by Defra, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
MCZ Project Interactive Map Marine Species
The map contains a huge resource of Marine and Coastal Zone data from Tide Wave Projects to reported Species of marine life surrounding the diverse waters of the United Kingdom.

What is the MCZ Project Interactive Map?

The Interactive Map is a web based Geographic Information System, which is essentially a way of displaying interactive maps online. The MCZ Project Interactive Map allows you to view maps of the United Kingdom and display additional relevant information above it, using layers selected from our marine spatial planning database. The tool also allows you add your own information to the map by drawing and labelling areas that you use or have information about. The MCZ Project Interactive Map is based around the Open Layers interface which is similar to Google Maps, and in many cases the controls will be exactly the same. This similarity will be become apparent as you start to use the tool.

We are using the Interactive Map to achieve two goals:

  1. To communicate the diversity and range of information that is being used by the MCZ Project. We hope that you find the investigation of the spatial data to be an interesting experience and that you discover more about the relationship between mankind and the coasts and seas of the United Kingdom.
  2. To collect information from commercial fishermen who are using the seas around England; however this may be extended to other stakeholder groups such as sea anglers and SCUBA divers. Using the Interactive Map, users can draw and label areas they use or places where they know certain species and habitats occur.
Map Help - and you can become and editor!
http://www.mczmapping.org/WebHelp.aspx#1

View the MCZ Project Interactive Map
http://www.mczmapping.org/#

This Map is another Open Street Map based project

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18 June 2008

MAPme.com - A Community Based Mapping Project

MAPme.com - A Community Based Mapping Project
Mapme Logo

MAPme.com a social mapping site which allows everyone from travelers to special interest groups to create and contribute locations by suggesting 'Hotspots' and other information that other members of a map might be interested in.
Mapme social mapping weirdness
Filters include 'weirdness' - in this case the 'Dancing Elvis Troupe' in Tokyo


These travel guides are community maps where other members can leave comments or photos or even submit their own locations. Usually, these suggestions will either be added directly to each map, or they go into a moderation queue assigned to the map owner (depending on the type of map).

"Each map is like a new post in a geographic forum”, says John McCann, who managed the development of the site. “We have given the map owners as much flexibility as they could ever need in terms of being able to moderate location data, but we've also allowed for options for public and personal maps – public maps are generally a free for all, and personal maps are for mostly private use".

Global Development
The development of the MAPME project took around 6 months, and was achieved on a shoestring budget by outsourcing work to all corners of the globe. Programmers working in the UK, Philippines, The Russian Federation and Australia patched together the MAPME application using open source software including the CAKE rapid development framework and of course the Google Maps API


Complexness
According to Robin Metcalfe- the lead developer of the project, the most complex undertaking was getting the permissions system right, and working out how to allow users to effectively explore a map that might have 500 or 500,000 markers. “We don't have a map with 500, or even 5000 Hotspots on it yet, but I think our system can handle it”.

Community Mapping
While community mapping is relatively new concept and something that hasn't really taken the online world by storm (yet), MAPme.com is also excellent for creating travel or city guides that are useful in their own right. Take for example this guide to Cebu, in the Philippines;
Mapme Cebu - Philippines
http://www.mapme.com/map/cebu

Future Applications
Apparently a Facebook Application, and Map Widget (built in Flash) are on the way, but for the time being map in can be exported in GPX format (easily transferable to portable GPS devices) or by KML. You can even keep an eye on any map activity by subscribing to the RSS channel for each guide.

MAPme is a great looking new site in the ilk of Flagr.com and Platial.com but on a global scale which is easier to use and better to look at. With the addition of an exportable map widget, this could easily be the best web 2.0 community mapping site on the net.

Map your World at http://www.mapme.com

Overall there is a lot of content already and subject matter that might call for some over 18's certification but on the whole the site works well with the sense of being part of a geo-community mapping project.

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05 May 2008

The Ordnance Survey & Becta Schools 'Map Pilot'

The Ordnance Survey & Becta Schools 'Map Pilot'

"The Ordnance Survey (OS) and Becta have been running a `map pilot' aimed at exploring ways of making digital maps accessible to schools."

source an thanks to: Wendy North Primary Project Leader http://primarygeogblog.blogspot.com/




`The MapPilot enables a range of Ordnance Survey digital mapping to be accessed free by pilot schools and educational mapping suppliers for a trial period. MapPilot is run by Becta, in conjunction with The Advisory Unit: Computers in Education and eMapSite with funding from DfES and support from Ordnance Survey.'
*via a simple GIS such as Local Studies

The other mapping source they have used is the excellent Geograph

This a very good way to introduce school childern to Maps and Technology. They are the potentional future Carographers and GIS engineers of tomorrow.

The project highlights 'software issues' so any budding software engineers out there that could develop 'A deskstop or web-based GIS' for school childern would be on a winner.
Openlayers & QGIS Hybrid has potential with development.

Mapperz

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