Building a raster tile set for the entire world. Observes that for a single layer basemap, many tiles are "empty" (a solid color i.e. water) - but in fact if you separate out your data into multiple layers each of these layers demonstrates some degree of sparseness. Render, store, then composite on the fly. (Composite on the server?)

samples of many transit agencies system maps.

scopic drives

Building a slippy map using Dymaxion projection

on the use of the map pin/placemark

It’s hard not to note the similarity between the shotgun shack and the riverside strips of land on this 1858 map - long, with narrow access to the river itself.

On building a map based on flickr photos

A number of times before (1, 2) I’ve discussed point clustering maps. I thought it would be useful to present an actual case study of a mobile app* that makes use of clustering to explain why I think the technique has problems from a usability point of view

NYTimes guy on the design of infographics which have a spatial data component.

MapKit for Mac is a framework for displaying maps in a Cocoa application that is API-compatible with Apple's MapKit framework for iOS.

interesting in so far as they are explicitly designing their map as a true "basemap" i.e. primarily as a backdrop for other data

Rules, techniques

e objective of our proposed method is to provide a better label placement strategy to improve the probability that labels are placed in meaningful locations inside all polygons, convex or otherwise, with or without holes. The algorithm we develop uses shape analyses such as compactness, weighted areas, region decompositions, and region skeletons

Welcome to the CloudMade downloads site. This is where you can find extracts of maps from different places around the world. From here you can download. Exports of open street map data by state

Snapshots of bridges in google earth - a demonstration of the limits of mapping aerial images onto terrain models

simple webapp for designing pixel patterns - exactly the tool I envisioned for constructing hash patterns for map design

Interesting maps, historical maps, but above all, BIG maps - That's what this website is about. Enormous maps, file access, and if I can bang out a couple of paragraphs without sounding like an ass, then all the better. If you have any questions, any maps you'd like me to look at, or any map-related things I can help you out with, feel free to contact me.

Acetate is a brand-new custom styled map that is designed for visualizing data and reintroduces the idea of a multi-layered basemap. Built into GeoIQ and GeoCommons, Acetate is immediately usable by everyone to easily build compelling maps, an also by developers to mix and share.

a list of highway shields for different locales. Includes particular state specific highway symbols like Kansas's exceptionally ugly yellow sunflower sign

Portable, offline map visualization. Interact with highly custom maps and visualize your KML and GeoRSS data offline with MapBox for iPad. Maps and geo data are stored directly on your device, so you can use the application without an Internet connection.

MBTiles is a specification for storing tiled map data in SQLite databases for immediate use and for transfer. The files are designed for portability of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of standard map tile images in a single file.

This makes it easy to manage and share map tiles.

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, contains information about physical and cultural geographic features in the United States and associated areas, both current and historical (not including roads and highways). The database holds the Federally recognized name of each feature and defines the location of the feature by state, county, USGS topographic map, and geographic coordinates.

Other feature attributes include names or spellings other than the official name, feature designations, feature class, historical and descriptive information. The database assigns a unique feature identifier, a random number, that is a key for accessing, integrating, or reconciling GNIS data with other datasets. The GNIS is our Nation's official repository of domestic geographic feature names information.

Here are informally described important cartographic concepts, how maps are drawn and why there are so many different kinds of projections for world maps.

print mailing envelopes lined with your google maps location

"U.S. Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Research Program on mapping the Moon. The maps are based on data from lunar missions in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and show the geological composition of the lunar surface. The maps are visually stunning in their abstraction. The many craters become clusters of colors, giving the appearance of a complex composition. "

"despite recent efforts to create a suite of thematic mapping approaches, Google Earth is a terrible environment for presenting many kinds of thematic maps. I’d go so far as to say that the 3D prism maps and 3D graduated symbol maps we see popping up in Google Earth are pure chart junk, of the kind Tufte warned us about repeated for past 25 years."

The California Water Atlas, a monument of 20th century cartographic publishing, has been scanned and put online for free public access by the David Rumsey Map Collection. Each page available in high resolution, licensed under creative commons.

Provides access to some basic information about LA County (Environmental,Organizational,Hydrography,Utilities) in SHP format.

web-based tool for choosing color schemes for use with map cloreopaths. Has colour schemes for sequential, divergent and qualitative data, with options for colour-blindness and photocopy-suitability.

public domain map dataset including vector and raster data available at 1:10m, 1:50m, and 1:110m scales. Covers the entire world and includes water, countries, regions, urban areas and major cities. Raster data includes shaded relief map

provides geocoding/routing web services based on Open Street Map data

The National Weather Service produces several data sets that are available in formats available to import into Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is a collection of computer hardware, software, and geographic data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. It takes the numbers and words from the rows and columns in databases and spreadsheets and puts them on a map.

e-textbook for students and professionals centered around cartography, particularly as it pertains to interactive and animated maps

Info windows are the familiar pop-up balloons that often appear when interacting with features on a map. This activity is generally called data probing. For example, click on a Google Maps marker and up comes a little bubble with information about the place. The uses for data probing are seemingly limitless, ranging from the retrieval of map-based comments, annotations, and descriptions of ‘what’s here?’, to map stats and info graphics, to map use instructions (e.g., “get directions”), explanations (e.g., “group of 3 markers”), and controls (e.g., “zoom here”), to alternate map views (e.g., an historical map). All of this, of course, can come through in the form of text, photos, audio, and video.

Data probing is essential. In one sense, its needed because we’ve got tons of data about the world, but just small, low-resolution computer screens to view it all on. Like a drop-down list or an accordion menu on a Web page, data probing is a design compromise that can save space on maps. In another sense, however, data probing is an important design decision that can help direct map readers’ attention and understanding from the general to the specific by offering details on demand. Without data probing, we’d either have crazy-cluttered maps or watered-down maps not taking advantage of all of that rich data out there.

assist practicing cartographers with the presentation of shaded relief and related raster art on maps

Directory of coordinate systems, providing EPSG codes, WKT, and PROJ format specifications

Finds the names of mountains or points of interest within a photography. Uses a database containing names and GPS data. With the given viewpoint (the point from which the picture was taken) and two known mountains on the picture, gipfel can compute all parameters needed to compute the positions of other mountains on the picture.

Print maps, draw on them, scan them back in and help OpenStreetMap improve its coverage of local points of interests and street detail. Walking Papers is a product of Stamen Design's Michal Migurski.

"Almost four years on from Mapping Hacks, the state of web-based mapping is moving within reach of mortals and designers. The one piece of software most directly responsible is Mapnik, Artem Pavlenko's excellent open source rendering library. Despite a not-undeserved reputation for being difficult to install (there are even what appears to be companies offering Mapnik as a service), once you've got it running there's nothing better out there for generating your own web-based slippy maps." some notes on producing high-quality tiled maps. Interested independent of Mapnick

Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest.

Vintage photographs. Site also contains a number of historic maps of european cities.