Mapping Mashups
Mapping on its own is great, but a good mashup--data from two inherently different sources combined--is glorious. And often lots of fun. (See "Eight Great, Simple Ways to Hack the Web" for more on the technology.)
Take a Geowalk Walk
I spent an hour exploring the world with the widgets on Geowalk's virtual desktop. Pop a location into the Geocoder field and click a pushpin on the map. You'll see detailed information and location-related pictures as Geowalk mashes up Wikipedia info and geo-tagged Flickr photos. Tap the More button on the UNESCO World Heritage widget for a neat surprise.
Read a Book, Sip Some Coffee
Silly as it sounds, some people need a regular caffeine-and-literature fix. Findbyclick locates a nearby Starbucks or chain bookstore in over 100 cities in the United States and Europe. Click a link, and you'll get a location; sort the tags to find a spot with Wi-Fi.
Did You Feel That?
Everybody in California is waiting for it: The Big One. When you live in earthquake country, you know it'll happen. That's why I'm a fan of the U.S. Geological Survey's mashup of Yahoo Maps and real-time, worldwide earthquake reports.
Map Your New Craigslist Digs
Craigslist.org is famous for finding the apartment that's just perfect for you. But if you're tired of the drudgery of scrolling through the classified-ad site's endless lists, try MapsKrieg--its mashup helps do the job for you. Just choose a region, or enter a specific city and state, and browse around the pushpins to find the ideal location--like a fully furnished five-star flat in Tribeca for only $4400 a month. If you prefer searching by price (no kidding!), try Housing Maps instead.
Taxi...TAXI!
When you travel to Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, or some other big city, don't get taken and pay too much for your ride around town. TaxiWiz gives you an estimate of the fare for trips in seven major cities, reducing the chances that you'll be fleeced by unscrupulous taxicab drivers. For instance, a trip from L.A. International Airport to my office in Pasadena shouldn't run more than $75. (Never mind, I'll pick you up.) There's also a mobile version of the service if you can't get to a PC.
Personalize Your Mashup Map
Use Platial and consider yourself a neogeographer--someone who shares locations of personal significance with family, friends, or strangers. Two of my favorite Platial offerings: Jordi's Mad Jaunt Across America and Baostar's best spots in Orange County, California, for a Zen fix.
Duck and Cover
No matter where you go, there's something to worry about. The Global Incident Map does a tremendous job of letting you track terrorist attacks and other potential calamities. The mashup integrates data from newspapers, Web news reports, and other sources with Google Maps. Click an entry on the map for more info and a link to a detailed report on the incident.
Look at Clouds From Both Sides
Hey, Bill, is it cloudy in Seattle? Don't bother looking up--of course it is. Get a view of the clouds over any location worldwide at DaylightMap's Clouds page. The satellite and hybrid views appear through the haze of cumulus (or are they nimbus?) clouds. The NASA images are are updated every 6 hours.
Banks, Traffic, and More
Most mashups come with one service. But MoreMap is the Grand Poobah of map mashups. The site supplies access to mapping mashes for banks, movie theaters, traffic conditions, radio stations, weather, earthquakes, and other categories. Find your way with the Directions modules; the site's free registration lets you store your favorite places and access them from any Internet-connected PC.
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