Global Chocolate Consumption per Capita (2018)

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I Should Cocoa… Ugh. I’ve had too much chocolate. I’m writing this on Easter Sunday, surrounded by temptation in the form of several variations and combinations of chocolate, as is customary in the Western world at this time of year. It turns out you can have too much of a good thing – real ‘first world problems’. Talking of #firstworldproblems, chocolate addiction really is an issue for the developed world, where chocolate consumption is at its highest in this part of world – maps bear this out. So given this time of  year, I thought it would be fitting to look into the geographical patternsRead More →

USA and Gun Ownership

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Right to keep and bear arms? The topic of firearms control and gun violence is one to approach with caution, given one, the fatalities involved, and two, that in the USA particularly, it can often stir strong debate and emotion on either side. However, following (another) mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and the perhaps unprecedented public demonstrations following this in USA, and around the world, as part of ‘March For Our Lives’ – it is a topic which is hard to ignore. With the aim promoting tougher gun control legislation and raising awareness of gun violence, it has brought the debateRead More →

GlobalFishingWatch_map

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Gone fishing Quick question – what do Leonardo Di Caprio, a New Zealand data visualisation agency and David Attenborough have in common? They have all used highly effective visual tools to highlight threats to marine life*. Allow me to explain. I recently stumbled upon a striking and important interactive map from an organisation called ‘Global Fishing Watch’ (GFW), an organisation which is supported by the Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation. In the words of the Oscar winning actor himself,  “with the data Global Fishing Watch provides, governments, fishery management organizations, researchers and the fishing industry can work together to rebuild fisheries and protect critical marine habitats.”Read More →

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The double act of Music and Geography Firstly, a very belated happy new year, as well as celebrating the first year anniversary of The Map Den! I’ve really enjoyed getting further involved in the geospatial community through this website, sharing interesting developments and content in social media, and hopefully contributing in my own tiny way on here. Geography, the study and the communication of this through maps, GIS and other geospatial forms is a great passion of mine and I believe is inherently relevant to the world around us – perhaps more than ever. Everything happens somewhere. Another strong interest of mine is music, aRead More →

Santa Claus Story Web Map

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Santa Claus coming to town…via maps With Christmas coming soon and Santa preparing for his annual global delivery service of presents, I thought it would be an opportune time to investigate the origin of Santa Claus, using a story map created in Mapbox. To get the fullscreen version of the embedded map below click here, and hope you enjoy!   Finally and most importantly, Happy Christmas and have a Happy (mappy) New Year! Happy Mapping, DavidRead More →

Screenshot from Disaster Watch displaying Forest Burn in California

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Earth Observation for Everyone As 2017 starts to draw to a close, we return to one of our earlier (and all too neglected) features, Map of the Day. However, our latest entry isn’t just a map for one day, but one where you can observe changes over time, using satellite imagery and earth observation data at Canadian start up – Remote Pixel. We are in a fortunate position currently where satellite data from such sources as LANDSAT is much more readily available for public consumption. Remote Pixel is one of many to take advantage of this new environment, using the flexibility of Mapbox and LeafletRead More →

Mapbox GL JS visualisation examples

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Okay, now I want to get coding… In the previous posts in this series, we have looked at the intuitive ‘out-of-the-box’ web maps you can configure with little to no coding knowledge, whether that be with CARTO or ArcGIS Online, with differing level of learning curves. This may be all you require and provide a timely and quick web mapping solution, particularly in the latter example, one that is integrated with your organisation’s/personal GIS infrastructure. However, to begin customising and ‘fine-tuning’ your web map to your exact needs, some knowledge or understanding of HTML, CSS, and a web scripting language, like Javascript, is required. IRead More →

ArcGIS Online Sandbox

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So I can make a web map, but I want more control… In my previous post, I introduced you to the world of web maps and how the world of geo web development has become more accessible for wanting to get started straight away in creating web maps with little to no web development skills, thanks to the intuitiveness of sites like CARTO. As explained previously, for many this is maybe all you are looking for or need, but others may want to explore options more integrated into existing offline GIS software, and get involved customisation and coding further. ArcGIS Online – Tailored for all levels IRead More →

Example of Carto Builder

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That web map looks great! Wish I could make one… In some ways, there has maybe not been a better time to be involved in the geospatial and cartographic industry, whether as a profession or as hobby/passing interest. While ‘static’ maps and images of geographical information and data visualisation are still very relevant and useful, the rise of the interactive web map is an increasingly trend which is hitting the ‘mainstream’ more and more, whether it be through maps in current affairs like election maps, or through games or social media (e.g. Pokemon Go! and SnapMap). Therefore, the ability for cartographers and geospatialists to haveRead More →

Dull Twinned with Boring

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Welcome to ‘Twin City’ Enter most towns, cities or villages in not just the UK, but in Europe and beyond, and you will likely find a ‘Welcome to [insert place name]’ and underneath ‘Twinned with [insert twin cities]’. Perhaps it is easy ignore these twin cities and linkages, or dismiss them as nothing more than symbolic, but what is the story behind twin or sister cities and what does it mean today? For those unaware a twin or sister city partnership is where there is a ‘friendship’ and legal/social agreement between one town or city (or even a region) to another , usually in a different country.Read More →