Distance to UK Train Stations

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Set for departure… *DING DONG* “The train now arriving at platform 2 is the (delayed) 1743 service to London Paddington calling at…” I’ve been spending a lot more time at train stations recently – starting a new job in a different city with a new commute, as well as travelling to see friends etc. Sometimes it can be frustrating waiting in the cold through delays for the next train, or weaving through commuters in the hope of getting a seat. However, being from a railway-boom town like Swindon, I do feel a certain affinity for the railway. But the geographer in me has often wonderedRead 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 →

Conflict_EventType_Mali

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In new series, ‘Map Nation’, I choose a country at random, and use this a topic to create maps related to this country. First, out of the hat – Mali Tim Marshall in his excellent book, ‘Prisoners of Geography’, underlines the importance and much overlooked influence of geography on the history of the world and modern geopolitics. Among many great examples, include Russia and it’s need for a warm sea port, or Europe, where terrain, climate and rivers created the multitude of countries and cultures in a relatively small land mass. Another example of historical and geography’s persisting impact today is perhaps no greater than inRead More →

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England is often known as the ‘home of football’ due to the its role formalising the first standardised rules of ‘association football’, and this game that was spread globally over the 19th and 20th century. In its early origins in England , the Football Association was formed in 1863, which formalised the rules of the game and started the FA Cup in 1871, but football remained an ad-hoc amateur game, run by those who could afford to play this as a pastime.  For example, the majority of founding FA clubs were private school teams, despite the large popularity of the game in the industrialised inner cities of Victorian Britain.Read More →

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Recently in the British news, in between snap elections and increased tensions in North Korea, there has been coverage of Prince Harry and William’s admirable openness about their mental health and drive to increase awareness about this important issue. It is totally understandable that given the sudden death of their mother in 1997, that this would have a profound impact on one’s mental health, especially given the exposure in the public eye too. Mental health problems aren’t rare; they affect 1 in 4 of UK population with no single cause. While there is variation by socioeconomic position and genetic predisposition, illnesses like depression and anxietyRead More →

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Football is perhaps the true global game, but is it played on a level playing field, particularly economically? Most of you probably know the answer to this, but the relationship between performance and strength economically, and sporting ability and opportunity is still an interesting one. National team football is a better way to analyse this, given the great financial disparities in club football to buy the best talent and that national identity is a more static attribute. Now, I realise that some may love football/sport, some may loathe or have little interest for it. However, exploring the relationship between football and economics tells us something deeperRead More →

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I’m a self confessed Dutchophile. There’s something about the colour ‘Oranje’, the unique sound of the language (which I’m ‘trying’ to learn), the windmills, clogs, tulips, hagelslag, stroopwafels, Edam cheese and (until recently challenged) liberal attitudes. I feel there is much to admire about the resourcefulness of the people of the Netherlands, once a economic powerhouse in the 1600s, where making the most of limited land has been vital. This was particularly embodied by the philosophy of ‘Totaal’, where the ability of space to have multiple uses influenced (particularly architectural) philosophies within the general liberal Dutch culture of the 20th Century. Famously, this was reflectedRead More →