congratulations mcgraw-hill on your codie award

Maps.com is celebrating with Educational Publisher McGraw-Hill after they scooped a CODiE award for “Best K-12 Course or Learning Management Solution”

“Networks: A social studies learning system” is a complete Social Studies resource incorporating print and digital solutions. The system is designed to bring abstract concepts to life through hands-on, interactive activities such as interactive maps and games, graphic organizers and engaging multimedia.

US History – Grades 6-8: McGraw-Hill Networks

The publisher included comprehensive teacher resources, worksheets, training videos, lesson plans and assessment tools.

Over 600 maps were produced for the project by Maps.com Cartographers, while the company’s programming team developed a presentation platform for the digital content that included  timeline animations, voice narration and editing tools for a truly interactive classroom experience.

“The success of this project was the result of a huge effort by the McGraw-Hill team and we congratulate them on this significant recognition.” Revealed Bennett Moe, who coordinated the digital and cartographic elements delivered by Maps.com. “We are proud to have played a key role in such a high profile and challenging project and delivered exactly what was required.”

The CODiE awards are annually presented by the Software and Information Industry Association – the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries. Initial reviews are carried out by tech-savvy educators, with a shortlist of 128 finalists reviewed by a panel of SIIA members.

Maps.com has more than 20 years of experience in the mapping industry and serves a variety of markets including education and news media. They have an in house development team producing  location based applications including online store locators and smart phone apps and ebooks. Maps.com is also home to the world’s biggest map and map related online retail store which receives almost 1 million visitors each month.

Related articles

• McGraw-Hill School Education’s Proven Digital Solutions Selected as Finalists for 2012 CODiE Awards (prnewswire.com)
• McGraw-Hill Networks press release - http://mheducation.com/releases/20120508.shtml

apple dropping google in cartographic celebrity divorce?

According to several sources close to Apple, the new IOS6 operating system for iPhone will no longer include Google Maps, and will instead feature an Apple developed mapping service believed to be faster, cleaner and more reliable. It will also proudly boast awe inspiring 3d rendering developed by C3, a spin-off of the Swedish auto and aerospace manufacturer SAAB, which was purchased by Apple in July 2011. C3 specialized in developing 3d rendering from color aerial photography.

Rumors about this change have been circulating ever since the purchase of Placebase, a mapping software developer, was revealed in 2009. Initial evidence of a split was seen earlier this year when iPhoto for the iPad was found to be using Open Street Map instead of Google Maps as in previous versions and the outcome became an inevitability when Apple failed to renew its contract with Google that was due to expire at the end of 2012.

9to5Mac Mockup of 3D rendering comparisons

Whilst nothing has been officially announced it is expected that maps will once again be making the headlines at the forthcoming iOS6 launch. Who knows, maybe they can make some fundamental improvements like including the names of rivers in the new maps and find some of the more recently ‘lost cities’.

Related articles

• Apple Moving to In-House Mapping Service with 3D Views in iOS 6? (macrumors.com)
• Report: Apple Is Dropping Google Maps from iOS 6 [Apple] (gizmodo.com)
• Two months later, Apple acknowledges use of OpenStreetMap in iPhoto (arstechnica.com)

Maps.com products for sale on your website

As you may or may not know, Maps.com is not only the home of some wonderful cartographers, programmers, designers and all-around smashing type people, it is also the location of the world’s largest map store at www.maps.com.

We have literally tens of thousands of titles viewed by millions each year looking for everything from guidebooks for their vacation to giant wall maps, to delivery maps for their restaurant and surf maps for their latest wild excursion. We also provided exclusive access to some of the worlds most talented, independent cartographers through our publisher program.

Maps on Everything at Maps.com

We are contacted frequently by bloggers and sites whose content has a link to maps in some way shape or form, and for this we refer you to our affiliate program. The affiliate program is incredibly successful, having run for over a decade and proving incredibly successful for hundreds of website owners. We provide lots of ads and updates and plenty of incentives for your visitors to click through and make that purchase.

There is a great new blog about our affiliate program from Snow Consulting. Subscribe to see regular updates on new products and discounts that you can really move.

GPS – For the love of the rain forest.

People indigenous to some of the world’s most precious natural environments are helping to preserve their way of life using GPS mapping.

Communities native to the world’s second biggest rainforests in the Congo Basin, for example, rely on the ecosystem for 80-90% of their resources, through activities such as hunting and fishing that they have practised for years.

GPS training in the DRC: Rainforest Foundation.

Because they are semi-nomadic, meaning that they move around the rainforest rather than living in a single, fixed location, the extent to which they live and work there is often disputed. The rainforests are under constant threat from industries such as logging and farming (both legal and illegal), so already these people are used to seeing their world shrink around them. But even conservation itself can, ironically threaten their way of life, as frequently protections not only prevent the destruction of the forest but also their right to continue their own activities there.

Tribes are also enabled, using their GPS devices, to hold companies who have been granted specific rights to be held accountable when they exploit or violate restrictions that have been set upon their operations. For example more than 6000 Bantu and 1500 Pygmies are now involved in policing logging activity in the Bandundu and Equateur provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo through participatory mapping.

Organizations such as Rainforest Foundation UK have been training community members as ‘Master Mappers’ to create maps by initially sketching their homeland out and then using GPS devices to accurately locate the places on the map.

The aim is to create a territory map that can be presented to the Congolese Government when they meet on May 8^th to determine the future of the rain forest – with regard to parceling of the forest for industrial purposes. The government has already made 11 concessions to logging companies from several European nations.

The maps will be offered as hard proof that these communities exist and live throughout the rainforest, and offer their representatives a chance to play a part in negotiations about their homeland.

As reported on CNN, a similar project has existed for more than 10 years in the Cameroon, where tribes in the Boumba Bek collected honey, mangoes and medicinal plants prior to it receiving National Park status under the jurisdiction of the World Wildlife Fund.

The Baka people were able to provide similar GPS based evidence and restore their right to operate within the region.

GPS offers an opportunity to these indigenous peoples to talk in the technological language that those contesting their rights have traditionally used to defeat them, and provides a very portable, low impact way of preserving their way of life.

Villagers celebrate completion of a community map, this time in the Central African Republic.

This article was also published on our K-12 Education blog – The maps101 blog.

Related articles

• Tropical Rain Forests (socyberty.com)
• What happens to the wood that is cut down from the rainforests? (greenanswers.com)
• Digital defenders: Tribal people use GPS to protect their lands (energybulletin.net)
• Social Innovation: GPS Technology Empowering Indigenous People of the Congo Basin (emmageraln.com)
• Maps.com donates print maps to schools in Tanzania (maps.com blog)

Cartography with Pan-ache

If you’ve ever wanted to have your pancakes Pennsylvania shaped, or your eggs over easy and in the shape of Ohio?

These super cast iron skillets come (soon) in the outline shapes of your favorite (48)  states, cost a sizeable number of dollars and weigh even more in pounds. They come with a magnetic wall hanger and can be seasoned (so your food doesn’t stick to them) on request. Buy a whole cluster of states and fit them together, they are fun to collect.

Nonetheless they are the coolest additon to the map geek’s kitchen. Check out FeLion’s website  for more info.

Send us your pictures of your culinary creations especially if you managed to use Michigan. And if you are planning on cooking up a barnstorming breakfast using Delaware, we’re busy that day.

Look Mom - I see Wisconsin in my eggs!

Apps That Take You Places

Ventura County, CA recently unveiled their new “Bikeways Map App” created by Maps.com.

The Bikeways Map app displays a scalable map of designated bike paths and lanes throughout the county (all 350 miles worth). The GPS-based program shows color-coded routes by type, pinpoints the lane nearest a cyclist’s location and guides the rider to their destination in real time. It can also track progress along the route and provide a summary of the trip, detailing mileage and average speed. Other features include safety tips, bike laws and color-coded path descriptions.

Locals will rely on it, visitors will love it, and Ventura County proves to be a step (or pedal) ahead.

Maps.com is helping companies reach new audiences and grow revenues with mobile apps.

Read more @ vcstar.com

Maps.com Teaches Cartography to Local Elementary School Students

By Eric Wilder, Cartographer, Maps.com.

It's Science Night

Last week marked an exciting time for Maps.com, as it was the culmination of the critically acclaimed Monte Vista Elementary School Science Night.

For many K-6 graders in Santa Barbara, Science Night is one of the most anticipated days of the year; Monte Vista Elementary School hosts dozens of local scientists from a wide variety of disciplines who enthusiastically share their profession with young minds of tomorrow. The evening gives students the opportunity to touch a human brain, hold a python, experience static electricity, and as of 2012, learn about MAPS!!!

As a past student of Monte Vista who vividly remembers the thrills of Science Night, I was ecstatic to see things come full circle and return 15 years later as a cartographer. Teamed up with my partner in crime, Maps 101Customer Account Specialist, Terry (also a proud Monte Vista graduate!), we prepared a presentation that we hoped would engage students and get them interested in maps.

Global Appeal

Despite the fact that the cartography exhibit was placed right next to the reptile exhibit – tough competition to say the least – it is safe to say that the kiddos were enthralled to learn about maps. Crowded around the big maps we brought with us, Monte Vista students were quickly able to spot their school’s location on a map, identify ways that the Santa Barbara area has changed in the past century using our Santa Barbara Antique Wall Map, find their California mission on our Maps 101 missions map, and discover the uses of imagery in mapmaking. You would be shocked to learn how many first, second, and third grade students have used Google Maps before!!

No, THIS is longitude, Mr.

Seeing that I once had a cartographer visit my classroom in fifth grade, we at Maps.com understand the value of introducing the science of cartography to our society’s next generation of geographers. After a very fun evening complete with prize giveaways and contests, it is without doubt that the future looks bright for the cartographers of tomorrow!

Related articles

• Cartography Can Be Fun (travelbetweenthepages.com)
• The best American wall map: David Imus’ “The Essential Geography of the United States of America” – Slate Magazine (slate.com)

That’s great, but how do I get it home from the Library?

The Earth Platinum world atlas is about to start shipping this February, and UPS drivers around the world are quaking in their boots, booking vacation time and frantically planning their ‘sick’ excuses.

That’s because it opens to 6′ x 9′ and weighs 120kg – over 260lbs (34lbs heavier than the author of this post at time of writing) and according to publicity materials at its world premier at Frankfurt in 2010 “Never has the envelope been pushed this far”. Quite literally if you are planning to get it shipped via priority mail.

The project was inspired by the Klencke Atlas, which we wrote about back in May 2010 when it was included in a collection of unusual maps on display at the British Library. It was presented to King Charles II in 1660 and nothing like it has been produced since.

Platinum includes the work of more than 100 international cartographers as well as stunning photography and is hand bound. According to Millenium House it is set to become “a prized reference and a focal point of the world’s major libraries and repositories.”  Of course with health and safety laws being what they are in most public buildings, it will need a dedicated member of staff to turn the pages, and only after a risk assessment has been completed. I have already placed a loan request at my local library but I’m not sure how long I will have to wait.

Average sized man stands by giant atlas.

I considered ordering a copy even after I saw the US $100,000 price tag, but when I saw the price of appropriately sized coffee tables in Ikea I realized this was completely out of my comfort zone.

However, if you are looking to splash the cash on the map geek in your life, you can join the waiting list here – make sure you have your Amex Triple Gold Card to hand for faster service.

Mittengate: When neighboring states fall out over lines on a map.

Wisconsin and Michigan are said to be taking steps to secure their borders today as the ‘Mitten Wars’ bring relations between the neighboring states to an all time low.

If total superiority in NFL Football wasnt enough, the state of Wisconsin has taken the agressive step of declaring itself ‘The Mitten State’ for a new winter campaign. This is based on Wisconsin’s borders resembling a left-handed mitten when plotted on a map.

This caused uproar in neighboring Michigan which has long regarded itself as the primary Mitten state seeing as its outline as resembles a pair of mittens, one pointing vertically up and one meeting it at fingertips horizontally. Or any other way you wish to interpret it.

After calling an emergency ‘Super Committee’ together here at Maps.com to review and agree official policy, we wondered if Michigan didn’t appear to be more like a Sasquatch looking up at a basking shark with an open mouth, whilst Wisconsin more closely resembled a hastily stuffed purse. However, when passing both maps through our geocoding analyzer using the ‘best fit’ algorithm (developed by our in-house programmers for use in such boundary disputes) we decided that there was no dispute after all.

Despite the outrage expressed by some parties in Michigan, the data clearly shows that Wisconsin has a single mitten, for which it can be proud, and that Michigan ‘The state’ actually applauds the notion. (See algorithmic graphical outputs below).

If you can offer further analysis please do not hesitate to comment in the box provided, or at least take our poll.

Michigan: Polite applause

Wisconsin: First Class Mitten

Related articles

• Mittengate: Wisconsin, Michigan Do Battle Over Mittens (patspapers.com)
• Mitten State: Michigan Nickname Used In Wisconsin Tourism Campaign (huffingtonpost.com)
• Michigan to Wisconsin: Don’t steal our mitten (cbsnews.com)

U.S. Opens New Tehran Embassy, Well Sort Of

No, U.S. diplomats haven’t returned to Iran to face the mob that overran the British Embassy last week. No feet are required on the ground for this first-ever virtual embassy launched by the U.S. State Department as part of its friend-making campaign towards the Iranian people.

Under Secretary Wendy Sherman made the announcement today, saying that the U.S. wants “to communicate directly to the people of Iran. We want all Iranians, especially the very large population of young people inside Iran, to see that the United States has deep respect for the Iranian people and its civilization. We want to support a more direct and robust engagement between us and the people of Iran, as we have in other countries where we have physical embassies. The virtual embassy is a hub in Persian and English for information not only on U.S. policy towards Iran but also a place to get insight into American culture and society, find visa applications, learn about opportunities to study in the United States. Virtual Embassy Tehran is a launch pad for our interactive efforts, our blogs, our Persian Facebook and Twitter pages, and our YouTube channel.”

The relationship between the U.S. and Iran has been made more tense of late by the Iranian administrations continued attempts to develop nuclear material  and the recent crash of a CIA drone in Iranian territory. The Iranian government will likely attempt to block the site from networks within the country, as they have for many site they deem inappropriate or counter to their own message. At the time of the announcement, the site had been operating for several hours with no attacks or blockage. Should it happen, the U.S. will do whatever it can to reset access and is confident that they can keep it up and accessible.

This does not signal a change in the diplomatic relationship, or lack thereof, between the two countries, but a new tactic to reach directly to the Iranian people.

PROFILE

Geography
Area: 1.6 million sq. km. (636,295 sq. mi., slightly larger than Alaska).
Arable land: 9.78% of the country.
Cities: Capital–Tehran. Other cities–Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz, Yazd, Qom.
Terrain: Desert and mountains.
Climate: Semiarid; subtropical along the Caspian coast.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective–Iranian(s).
Population (July 2010 est.): 76,923,300 million.
Population growth rate (July 2010): 0. 1.253%%.
Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.
Religions: Shi’a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha’i 2%.
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic languages (besides Turkish) 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%.
Education: Literacy (total population age 15 and over who can read and write, 2003)–79% (male: 86%, female: 73%).
Health (2010 est.): Infant mortality rate– 43.45 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth (2010)–total population: 69.77yrs.

Government
Type: Islamic republic.
Constitution: Ratified in December 1979, revised 1989.
Branches: Executive–Supreme Leader (head of state), President (head of government), Council of Ministers, Assembly of Experts, Expediency Council, Council of Guardians.Legislative–290-member Majles (National Assembly, or Islamic Consultative Assembly).Judicial–Supreme Judiciary.
Suffrage: Universal suffrage; 18 years of age.

 Sources: Maps.com, Maps101,  U.S. State Department