Web Wednesday: DIY Map

DIY Map is best described as “a clickable, zooming map written in Flash and colored by data from an external text file.” Creator, John Emerson, established this online system to enable any individual to create interactive maps for their personal use. Emerson provides detailed instructions on how to complete each and every step of the map production process.

Simply download the desired map and unzip the archive (you have the choice of using a map of the entire world, U.S., U.S. and Canada, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Sweden, or U.K. and Ireland). From here you have a number of choices from adding additional city coordinates (the site provides a number of helpful links) to using the "preview a demo" link to give examples of the different uses for DIY maps.  Alternatively, you can simply jump right in to editing the XML code of the data file to your personal preferences. To understand the language used in the XML data file and for information on how to accurately edit each and every line of the code visit the Configure page. Finally, after you are completely done editing the data file, you can embed your newly created map file into your personal webpage using the Embed the Flash file help link.

Below are some still images and links to the original clickable DIY maps that the site uses as preview demos, displaying the uses for some of the standard data files that the site has to offer.

For more information on this presidential election map, including the source and fully coded data file, visit the U.S. examples page and scroll down to the fourth map.

For more information on this global unemployment map visit the World examples page and scrolls down to the third map.

Visit the DIY home page to click around this map of recent visitors to the DIY Maps website.

Web Wednesdays: UMapper

Within ArcMap, it is possible to create hyperlinks to provide additional information about features on your map. However, if you want an interactive GIS map to be accessible online, an external application must be used. UMapper allows you to create a variety of embeddable flash maps. With UMapper, you can create, manage, and distribute online maps. UMapper even allows you to create map wikis and geogames, track detailed usage of your map, and make money off your map by displaying advertisements.

If you click on the "Explore" tab on the website, you can browse through example maps. This map of the Dubai Metro system had a lot of views. It has all of the bus and rail stops along the metro line, and when you click on each symbol, additional information about the routes pops up. UMapper also allows you to resize and embed a map by providing the necessary coding.

The website also has simple tutorial videos that go through the step by step process of creating maps. You can create a map entirely with UMapper, or you can customize a map you created in ArcMap by adding hyperlinks and other graphics to it.

Web Wednesday: UK CrimeMapper

The National Policing Improvement Agency and the UK Home Office have collaborated to create an interactive online map that is available to the public and offers detailed crime statistics in England and Wales. The map allows users to see where and when crime has occurred (some down to the street level), make comparisons with other areas, and learn how crime is being tackled by their local neighborhood policing team.

The map was launched on October 20, 2009. This national map comes after 43 police forces in the UK successfully launched regional crime maps. The regional maps drew a lot of attention, and the national map was even more popular than expected. In fact, the server crashed on the morning of October 20th due to high demand.

Giving the public access to this information is viewed in a positive light by many.  It engages communities in the police force's crime prevention process and it can even encourage people to set up neighborhood watch schemes. However, representatives from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) consider the publication of crime statistics as "sensationalist" and warn that the publishing of this information may have adverse effects on real estate values in high crime areas.

  Map of Recent Crime Activity in England's Shropshire Division

The interactive map is available online and allows you to search for crime statistics by entering a village, town, or postcode, by selecting a police force, or by choosing a district on the map. The map gives you access to information about the trends of crime activity over the past year, and also allows you to see the types of crimes that have been committed in a certain area (crime types include burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence, and antisocial behavior). Within a selected area, the map will be divided into sub sections with a light grey representing low crime levels and darker greys indicating higher crime levels. This allows for comparison of crime activity between neighborhoods.  Selecting a police force also gives you access to information about policing priorities.

In addition to highlighting high crime areas and perhaps lowering the real estate value of homes within those areas, some argue that this map also exposes areas of relatively low policing. Giving the public access to policing information could possibly assist criminals in developing more evasive strategies. 

Web Wednesday: CommunityWalk

CommunityWalk is an up and coming web app that allows users to create, save, and share maps. The original purpose of the site was to allow a realtor to mark and display the homes that she had for sale, but since then the site and application have grown into much more. Now each and every public user can create an array of personal maps to save, share, or publish.

CommunityWalk is a self proclaimed “Mapping Made Easy” application.  From the home page users can link to everything that the site has to offer: basic map creation; the site’s blog; all CommunityWalk public maps; all CommunityWalk public professional maps; most popular wedding areas and much more.

To get started, you can either register for an account with CommunityWalk [visit CommunityWalk registration], allowing you to create maps for private use, or you can jump right in and create a public map. To create your own map head over to Start Your Map and input any location across the globe that you would like to map. Next, you can decide if you would like to publicly publish your map (making it available across the site and in various other search engine), sharable (meaning that only those who you provide with a site link can view your map), or completely private (only available if you are registered with the site). Then just title your map and get to work.

A bare map will be displayed on your screen and from here you can do various things from adding markers at special locations (searchable by name, address, or latitude and longitude) to displaying paths or line segments between points or even uploading pictures associated with your points of interest. Once you create your map masterpiece, click on the “share/export” link and use one of the options to display your map to the world. Below you can see all of the various options available under each of the three map editing tabs (Build This Map, Map Settings, and Share/Export).

Another nice feature of this site is that it has a few detailed tutorials to walk users through the steps of some of the more advanced options that are available, including adding audio to your map, linking directly to markers on your map or even creating your own icon image markers.

Below you can see a map we created displaying Rice University’s campus and a path line showing how to get from Fondren Library to the Houston Zoo, Houston Museum of Natural Science and Rice Village. Check out the features of the Rice University map including images for each of the markers and quick links to directions to or from any of the locations.

Web Wednesday: Google Maps API

Ever wonder how to embed Google Maps in a website?  One answer is use a Google Maps API  (API stands for Application Programming Interface). There are actually several of these applications created by Google that can be used free of charge (so long as the user abides by the terms of agreement).

One API is designed to work with JavaScript, while another is designed for Flex developers to work with Flash (the developer must already have Flex).  Both of these apps allow users to not only see what content you've added, but also to zoom in and out from the parameters you set.  For example, you might set the original map parameters to marked real estate in one part of Houston, while the dynamic nature of the maps lets users zoom out to see more general location within the city and zoom in to see parks and schools.  A third API, one not requiring experience with JavaScript, can be used to create "static" maps--that is, maps that show display markers, routes, polygons, etc over Google Map content, but that cannot be zoomed in/out.  Instead of loading JavaScript or Flash content, this API simply loads an image file of a map, containing your added contents and cut to the parameters of your choosing. 

Google says that all you need to get started is an API key (for free) which you can get once you have a (free) Google account.  Then check out the developers' guide to learn how to get started.

Web Wednesday: Solar Boston

Solar Boston is a program started by the Mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, to increase the amount of solar energy in the city. The Solar Boston website displays yet another internet-based use of ArcGIS. Residents of Boston, Massachusetts have opportunity to view all of the solar energy producers in their city (as well as a few other alternative energy sources) and determine the solar potential of their own home or business. Simply use the "Tools" tab to type in a Boston address and a graph of the solar potential for the year will appear. The application also provides information on the assumptions that were made to arrive at such solar potential values and outlines how one should actually go about implementing solar energy solutions.

Take a look at the Solar Boston map and test it out for yourself! [Try using the solar potential tool on the address " 666 Boylston St ", the location of the City of Boston Central Library, as we did below.]

Web Wednesday: Social Explorer - Part 1

Social Explorer is an interactive map and data report system that allows users to

“visually analyze and understand the demography of the United States through the use of interactive maps and data reports…Our goal is to visually display the demographic change that has occurred in the U.S. from 1790 through the present at a variety of geographic levels, including neighborhoods, counties, and states. To accomplish this, we have developed a collection of interactive demographic maps that can be viewed, queried and manipulated on our site. Demographic patterns throughout American history spring to life in the form of reports, maps, and animations. "

To get a first hand view of some of the mapping capabilities of the site visit Census Tract Estimates. From here anyone can alter the default setting of the map by changing the census data year,  the specific classification of data within that year (i.e. age, population and marital status), and modify the specification under the chosen classification (i.e. percentage of the population under the age of 5 or over the age of 65). After creating such a map, it is possible to save the map and up to 13 others and create a slideshow from them. Though this slideshow won’t be saved if you are a public viewer, it is nice feature to experiment with. Visit the Maps tab to view a number of pre-made maps and slideshows and get an even better idea of the slideshow capabilities of the site. Below I have included an image of the Census Tract Estimate map and slideshow that I made.

To get a detailed account of all of the various attributes that the site has to offer, visit the About Social Explorer page and to view a list of all the data that Social Explorer has to offer to both the public and subscribing visitors, head to Social Explorer Datasets.]

Rice University has a subscription to Social Explorer, giving members of the University the opportunity to access immense amounts of extra data. For Rice members on Owlnet computers, visit Subscription Through Rice, click on "Social explorer [electronic resource]" and then click on the "Internetlink" provided to access everything that Social Explorer has to offer.  As a Rice University member it is also possible to make a personalized sub-account under the University’s subscription by visiting the Create a Sub-User Account page. (Note: You must be logged onto Social Explorer through the previous “Subscription Through Rice” link above before creating your own account.) By having a personalized account it is possible to store slideshows and maps on the site’s server and access the information at later times.

Another nice feature of the Social Explorer site is its "News & Announcements" section, which displays recent maps, data, general demographic information analysis, and news related to census data that users of the site have blogged about. For example, a few weeks there was an article related to congressional redistricting plans, which would make use of some of the demographic census data that the site highlights. For a list of some of the site’s most recent news article postings visit "News Announcements".

Web Wednesday: Make A Map

ESRI, the company behind ArcGIS software, has created an interactive web interface, called Make A Map, that allows users to create and share displays of basic U.S. demographic layers. Guests have the choice of seven different demographic statistics from which to make their map, each with a fixed graduated color ramp. As users zoom in on the map, the demographic representation changes automatically from the state level down to the county, census tract, and census block group level. Users are free to zoom to locations of interest (hometown, university, state, etc.), change the demographic variables, and embed their new map creation in their own webpage to share with others. 

ESRI's main goal for this Web application is to "encourage you to freely create and share demographic Web maps," as well as to provide a quick and simple overview of some of the Web Mapping API (Application Programming Interface) technology that is becoming available. For more information about ESRI's other free mapping tools, visit Mapping for Everyone.

Below is an example embedded map showing the median age distribution of persons around the West University/Museum District area.  Explore the map below and then make your own map to share.

Welcome to the GIS/Data Center Blog

Welcome to the first of many blog posts brought to you by the staff of the GIS/Data Center in Fondren Library at Rice University. GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems and makes use of hardware and software to support people in displaying, querying, manipulating, and analyzing spatial data.

This blog will be geared towards the Rice community and will highlight resources at the GIS/Data Center and in the Houston area; however, most of the information will be equally applicable to anyone with an interest in or curiosity about GIS. We will be highlighting data, tools, techniques, and applications that we hope will be useful to those just getting started, as well as those with more experience who are looking for new and exciting innovations in the field. Therefore, our posts will feature a mixture of recent developments and well-established practices.

We've come up with some fun daily themes to keep you reading and us writing:

Miscellaneous Monday - general GIS news, Houston and Fondren Library GIS information and events, Rice faculty and student projects utilizing GIS

Tuesday Tools - tools that can be used online or downloaded to perform special functions in GIS and cartography

Web Wednesday - websites that either allow you to browse and query existing data online or to create online content using your own data

Thursday Data - sources of free, high-quality, GIS-related data

Fun Friday - interesting, novel, and downright fun maps and applications

If you would like more information or one-on-one training related to the any of the topics covered in the blog, feel free to visit us at the GIS/Data Center in the basement of Fondren Library (B40). Please also refer to our website for our contact information and more details regarding our computer lab, data, training, and assistance.

While comments will not be displayed on this blog, we do welcome your feedback and will take your comments into consideration for the future development of our blog.