Archives
Electronic Highways
Can't get there from here? Map your journeys online
Last summer I was planning a trip to Maine and, as more people are doing these days, I turned to the Web for driving directions. At one point, MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com) directed me to hop on something called the "Maine State Fry." I assumed that "Fry" was short for "freeway," but closer inspection revealed it was a ferry. Needless to say, hopping a ferry may have provided me with a scenic route, but not the quickest way for me to get to my inland destination.
It could have been worse. Recently, a person obediently followed her computerized directions—even at the expense of traffic detour signs directing her otherwise—and ended up in a river: http://digbig.com/4sfmc. While online maps have their limitations—ask Google how to get from Buffalo to Dublin, and your directions will include the advice "Swim across the Atlantic Ocean, 3,462 miles" (http://www.maps.google.com/?q=Buffalo+to+Dublin)—they certainly are proliferating on the Web and gaining popularity. Even President Bush revealed in an interview that he enjoys checking out online maps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSsK6Elqu8g).
These days, maps are being used to provide much more than directions—people are creating what are called "mash-ups" to display all sorts of data using maps. TrafficLand, for example, lets you see where the "traffic cameras" are located in your area and monitors current images from them (http://www.trafficland.com). Thirsty, or just want a buzz? Check out Coffee Finder (http://www.findbyclick.com), the Beer Mapping Project (http://www.beermapping.com) or Wines and Times (http://www.winesandtimes.com/wnt/index.php). PlaceOpedia (http://www.placeopedia.com) is a site that maps Wikipedia articles to their locations. If you prefer your news mappy, there's Buzz Tracker (http://www.buzztracker.org). And WorldMapper (http://www.worldmapper.org) creates bubbly looking global maps where each country is resized based on the data being presented.
Creating online maps has never been easier—check out Platial (http://www.platial.com) or look for the "My Maps" tab on the Google Maps main page (http://www.maps.google.com/). Or explore "50 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups" from Google Maps Mania: http://www.googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/2006/12/50-things-to-do
-with-google-maps.html.
Many map sites incorporate satellite images and there's no easier way to kill time online than by zooming virtually around your local area via satellite—here's an amazing image of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens: http://digbig.com/4sfkw). Google Sightseeing (tagline: "Why bother seeing the world for real?" http://www.googlesightseeing.com/), Bird's Eye Tourist (http://www.birdseyetourist.com/) and Ogle Earth (http://www.ogleearth.com/index.html) are sites that highlight interesting satellite and mapping resources (or watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn9X6iHK9bY).
If you like maps with a bookish bent, there are plenty to choose from: the Atlas of Fiction (http://www.atlasoffiction.com/map.html?scope=world), GoogleLit Trips (http://www.googlelittrips.com), Explore Shakespeare (http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/shakespeare/#), a Literary Map of Manhattan (http://digbig.com/4sfky) and OpenBible.info (http://www.openbible.info). If you're looking for books, check out Book Wormz (http://www.bookwormzonline.com) or better yet, check the book out from a library anywhere in the U.S. using Libraries411.com (http://www.libraries411.com).
Of course, right here on campus the University Libraries Map Collection has an amazing array of print and online map resources (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/maps/map_room.html).
—Charles Lyons, University Libraries