Interactive Map of U.S. Oil Imports Since 1973
RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) provides a timeline-based interactive map depicting the U.S.’s historical imports of oil since 1973. Map controls can slide to specific dates and highlight five periods by major oil crises, including history briefs in the sideline. Map units can be displayed in oil or U.S. dollars. Map can also be put on auto-play. This is a well-done interactive map and interesting visualization of the flow of resources over time.
Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent, entrepreneurial nonprofit think-and-do tank™ that drives the efficient and restorative use of resources (from the RMI website).
Slate’s Interactive Map of Vanishing Employment Across the Country
In their Dec. 30, 2009 post, Slate poises the question “When Did Your County’s Jobs Disappear?” with a nicely done interactive map and timeline. Besides painting a dismal picture of the ongoing state of U.S. unemployment, this map does an equally fine job of integrating space, time, and demographic data.
New Product: Eye-Fi Geo
Eye-Fi has just released a new product that couldn’t help but catch my eye. The new Eye-Fi Geo is a “smart” SD card that includes wireless JPEG photo uploads to your computer (Windows or Mac) and geotagging. Geotagging is provided through Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), which is different from Global Positioning System (GPS), and happens whenever you are in range of any wireless network, open or closed, private or public (according to the Eye-Fi website). Eye-Fi Geo is a new product available only at the Apple Store ($60USD). Though I haven’t tried it myself, the customer reviews seem a bit mixed. Definitely worth following this interesting technology.
Hold World Landmarks in Your Hands with ARSights & Google Earth
A while back I reported on virtual digital holograms, wondering when they would make their way into the mapping arena. Over the past year ARSights, a project by Inglobe Technologies, an italian company specialized in the development of Virtual and Augmented Reality applications, has been building a community-based collection of 3-d virtual models of landmarks all over the world. This fascinating use of the technology is focused on education. Imagine… your students fly to Europe, glide around Italy – looking at the topography of the country as they zoom into to Rome. Now they pick up the Colosseum to really examine it, turning it round and round to really examine what’s there. Requires Google Earth, a web cam, and the ARSights download.
Noel Jenkins of Digital Geography posts this YouTube video showing how things look:
According to the ARSights, there are over 400 contributors now who have started “to share interesting content from many parts of the world. You can take a look at new models mainly in the USA, South America and Europe. Among others, you will find many important landmarks, like for example the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the “Fiscal Island” in Rio de Janeiro, the University City in Buenos Aires and il Ponte di Rialto in Venice.”
Alphabetized Map Pleases American Sense of Geography
Here’s an oldy-but-goody from the Onion – News in Photos section: “World Map Rearranged To Accommodate Poor Geography Skills Of Americans—Nations Ordered Alphabetically”
Is Geography the New History?
When the press starts noticing geography, does that mean it is time for a comeback? In his recent article “Is Geography the New History,” Robert Butler poses the question about the dynamic and exciting role geography is playing again in our global society. Robert Butler writes the Going Green column in Intelligent Life.
