michalisavraam.org blog » Cartography http://michalisavraam.org a spatial web presence Mon, 24 May 2010 17:17:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Google Maps API now supports multiple languages http://michalisavraam.org/2009/10/google-maps-api-now-supports-multiple-languages/ http://michalisavraam.org/2009/10/google-maps-api-now-supports-multiple-languages/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:00:46 +0000 Michalis Avraam http://michalisavraam.org/?p=176
  • New Google Maps Lab features
    • ]]>     According to the Google GeoDevelopers Blog, the Google Maps API now supports multiple languages (list here). There is no need for developers to do anything, Google will simply translate all map controls based on the location of the user (geo-ip location). Wonderful news for all of you travelers which will end up seeing the local language at your location rather than the language you speak. Google does offer a way to define a specific language, but is that enough?

    When is a feature not a feature? This is an interesting question, whether one talks about Google Maps or Facebook or any other application that is delivered as a service. There is no option for users to not install this feature. Even though Google does offer the chance to return to the old Google Maps (by specifying you need the English language as a default language), this may not be appropriate. In essence, Google Maps introduced a feature that you need to opt out from, rather than opt in. This comes with no prior announcement or a grace period. While in most cases, this can be good for developers, is it ideal and good for all? I think the people that will be disadvantaged by this should outweigh the possible benefits. Perhaps Google should make this an opt-in feature instead?

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    1. New Google Maps Lab features

    ]]>     http://michalisavraam.org/2009/10/google-maps-api-now-supports-multiple-languages/feed/ 0     Color Usage in maps: A useful tool http://michalisavraam.org/2009/07/color-usage-in-maps-a-useful-tool/ http://michalisavraam.org/2009/07/color-usage-in-maps-a-useful-tool/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:42:13 +0000 Michalis Avraam http://michalisavraam.org/?p=121
  • Cartographic Typefaces: Some examples
    • ]]>     Everyone that creates maps has to deal with color, some way or another. While there are many different ways of going about it (refer to any textbook on cartography), few online resources seem to be up to the tasks. Well I recently stumbled upon NASA’s Color Usage website. Apart from the excellent articles and resources provided (thank you NASA), they also include a Color Tool (Java Applet) that allows one to explore colors in a very beautiful way. I hope you find the information there as useful as I have.

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    1. Cartographic Typefaces: Some examples

    ]]>     http://michalisavraam.org/2009/07/color-usage-in-maps-a-useful-tool/feed/ 0     Flow Maps made easier http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/flow-maps-made-easier/ http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/flow-maps-made-easier/#comments Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:07:00 +0000 Michalis Avraam http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/flow-maps-made-easier/ An interesting article, including source code (in Java) on how to create flow maps has been released to the public. Not sure how new this is, but the interesting part is that the whole paper is online, as well as the source code, compiled version and sample data are available for all.

    For those that are not familiar with flow maps, one only needs to consider what it is they are trying to communicate, and that is flows. Having an origin and destination, plus a weight value (i.e. number of flights, migration numbers, etc) one can create maps that communicate these flows. Sample images are provided in the link above that show migration patterns from and to California. The paper is a fascinating read, and the ease of use of this piece of software is amazing. Have at it geospatial community.

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    ]]>     http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/flow-maps-made-easier/feed/ 0     International Students at the University of Washington (part 2) http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-2/ http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-2/#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:10:00 +0000 Michalis Avraam http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-2/ Continuing the map series of International Students at the University of Washington. This is for the year 2005.


    As you may notice, this map looks strikingly similar to the map for 2006. While the numbers have changed slightly, the trend remains the same for all countries, making the classification scheme used (Jenk’s Natural Breaks Algorithm) to produce a similar categorization. This will need to be address by either changing the classification scheme or normalizing the data.

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    ]]>     http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-2/feed/ 0     International Students at the University of Washington (part 1) http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-1/ http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-1/#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2007 08:15:00 +0000 Michalis Avraam http://michalisavraam.org/2007/02/international-students-at-the-university-of-washington-part-1/
    This is a map I put together of Internation Students at the University of Washington. The complete series (1999 to 2006) will be published on my webpage soon, if anyone is interested. I will discuss issues when the series is completed within the week.

    Enjoy!

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