Mapping and Geocoding
Mapping and Geocoding
RECENT UPDATES
Chips App: Create Satellite Chips
An interactive web app for creating Landsat/other imagery chips for any location around the globe. The app was built using streamlit, geemap, and Google Earth Engine. Developed by Ishaan Jhaveri and Yoni Nachmany of The New York Times, the toolt scrapes coordinates from a data file to grab available satellite pictures of your sites of interest. Just upload a KML or GeoJSON file.
Justice Map
Look for race and income trends that could influence your dataviz map.
Overture Maps Foundation
An open source program for curating and collating map data across the globe from multiple different data sources.
MAPPING AND GEOCODING TOOLS
Flourish
Turn spreadsheets into responsive interactive maps.
Flourish Dataset Repository
Practicing mapping or charts with Flourish? Use their practice data from this repository.
Datawrapper.de
Build simple interactive charts and graphics with this browser-based tool.
StoryMap JS
Free, open source tool helps you build interactive maps.
CartoDB.com
Build all types of interactive maps, including timelapse maps.
MapStack
This tool from Stamen lets you assemble a selection of different map layers like backgrounds, satellite imagery, terrain, roads or labels. Tweak Photoshop-like controls like colors, masks, opacity and brightness to make a map look cool for downloading.
Maphub
Create interactive maps.
Let’s Make a Bubble Map Tutorial
MapCreator.io
Build cool maps without code.
Polymaps
Mapping tool. JavaScript library for image- and vector-tiled maps in SVG (scalable vector graphics)
Qgis
A Free and Open Source Geographic Information System.
Batch Geocoder for Journalists
Geocodes locations to coordinates in an easy-to-use interface.
GeoTools
Contains four tools that allow you to scale things (e.g. move the BP Oil Spill around the world to see how big it is set against a city, state, country, etc.
Justice Map
Look for race and income trends that could influence your dataviz map.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
MapShaper.org
An editor for map data developed by Matthew Bloch of the New York Times.
GEOJSON.io
Draw your own shapefiles, export and load into a map.
MediaHack: Mapping for Journalists – 9 Essential Tools for 2022
Overture Maps Foundation
An open source program for curating and collating map data across the globe from multiple different data sources.
Maps4News
A responsive, interactive map-making tool released in June 2019. The simple interface can be used to create and publish beautiful basic story locators or to make map visualizations of your data.
Six Tools to Help With Geolocation
Comparea
See a visual comparison of two states, cities, countries or continents. Move them around. It will also tell how many times bigger a geographic area is to another.
GIJN: Nine Essential Mapping Tools
GeoJournalism.org
Online training and resources for journalists, designers and developers to dive into data visualization using geographic data.
Custom Property Line Maps | Works With Your Cell Phone GPS
Bellingcat Maps, Satellite and Streetview
Media Hack: Mapping for Journalists – 9 Essential Tools
EthicalGeo: Ethical Mapping — How Not to Map
Geocoding and Mapping in Google Sheets
Training video from data journalist Daniel Carter.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
F4 Map
Use Open Street Map data to plot individual buildings on a 3D map.
Kartaview
Works similar to Google Street View.
Open Street Cam
A collection of street cameras around the US.
Climate TRACE
Independent greenhouse gas emissions tracking. Explore the map and download the data.
US Drought Monitor Maps
More than 20 years of maps that are searchable and animated.
Ogre
Ogre is a web client (service) that translates spatial files into GeoJSON using the ogr2ogr command line tool for use in web applications and frameworks.
MapShaper
Map data editor. Drag spreadsheets and shapefiles into the interface and start mapping.
QGIS
A free, downloadable open-source geographic information system.
Spatial Journalism Newsletter
Features research, conferences/events, initiatives and much more related to the growing field of spatial journalism and geo/locative approaches in the industry
Quickstart Mapping Guides
Links galore and some great primers.
Heatmap.js
Build cool heatmaps for your websites.
ColorBrewer
Color advice for cartography
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
Leaflet.js
An open-source JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps.
Geocoding Tipsheet
Amanda Hickman set up a great tipsheet on this page.
GIJN: Resources for Finding and Using Satellite Images
Geocode by Awesome Table
A Google Sheets extension that will geocode a column of addresses.
Batch Geo
Mapping tool.
Geocod.io
Geocode addresses in a spreadsheet. Requires a fee.
Highmaps
From Highcharts, this tool helps make HTML 5, Javascript maps.
Statplanet
Free application for creating interactive maps which are fully customizable.
100 Years of National Geographic Maps
Photo-based storytelling platform.
GIJN: Deepfake Satellite Imagery
How it’s done and what to watch for.
Cartography and Geographic Information Science
A list of past issues of the academic journal.
Ken Blake: Making a Quick Locator Map
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
MORE MAPPING TOOLS
Google MyMaps
Build quick-and-dirty maps on the fly.
Google Flourish
Build more advanced maps using only a spreadsheet.
Google Maps Gallery
Examples galore of great Google Maps projects.
Comparea
See a visual comparison of two states, cities, countries or continents. Move them around. It will also tell how many times bigger a geographic area is to another.
F4Map.com
Create cool 3D maps, but there is no embed or download option. You have to screenshot them.
JournalismTools.io: Mapping and Data Visualization Tools
Carto.com
Mapping tool with cool features such as timelapse maps.
Maphub
Create interactive maps.
National Landcover Database
Land cover information at the national scale for a wide variety of environmental, land management, and modeling applications.
Use QGIS to Create an Australia Wildfire Map (NICAR 2020)
Great exercise.
Glitch
A good tool for managing data journalism projects.
Use QGIS to Filter and Analyze Australia Wildfire Data (NICAR 2020)
GIJN: Mapping Toolbox
10 tools to use. (From 2017)
EO Browser
EO Browser makes it possible to browse and compare full resolution images from all the data collections we provide. You simply go to your area of interest, select your desired time range and cloud coverage, and inspect the resulting data in the browser. Try out different visualizations or make your own, download high resolution images and create timelapses.
Overpass Turbo
Returns the #OSM database for whatever you are searching by entering Open Street Map tags in the interface to the left. Tip from Tom Jarvis: Google the term you think you want to use. E.g.: military firing range open street map tag. Maps can be exported.
Travel Time Map
Estimates travel time by driving, walking, public transport, etc. Good for confirming timelines in investigative or crime stories.
Geolocation Estimation
Helps locate geotagged images on a map.
Railroad Maps
Database of maps from the University of Michigan.
FIRMS
Map tracks heat signatures/wildfires.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
Wikimapia
Crowdsourced map interface. Be sure to fact-check what you find there.
Liveuamap
Live Universal Awareness Map is subscription-based and lets you see the evolution of military front lines over the years.
Radio.Garden
Zoom in on this Google Earth-like tool to find radio stations around the world.
LightningMaps.org
Real-time lightning map.
GIJN: Data Tools and Tips for Investigating Climate Change
NASA: Panoply
A cross-platform application that runs on Macintosh, Windows, Linux and other desktop computers, this tool plots geo-referenced and other arrays from netCDF, HDF, GRIB, and other datasets. NetCDF data files can be uploaded to make customized maps.
NASA Landsat
Pull satellite imagery.
F4Map.com
Create cool 3D maps, but there is no embed or download option. You have to screenshot them.
GroundSignal.com
Location-based search.
Maphub
Create interactive maps.
Google Moon
Zoom in on areas of the moon. Works similar to Google Earth.
Polymaps
Mapping tool. JavaScript library for image- and vector-tiled maps in SVG (scalable vector graphics)
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Maps4News
A responsive, interactive map-making tool released in June 2019. The simple interface can be used to create and publish beautiful basic story locators or to make map visualizations of your data.
NatGeo: Topographical Maps
Every US Geological Survey (USGS) topographical map from across the United States on one easy-to-navigate site. Easy print out.
ALERTWildfire Network Map
A consortium of three universities — The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), University of California San Diego (UCSD), and the University of Oregon (UO) — providing access to state-of-the-art Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) fire cameras and associated tools to help firefighters and first responders: (1) discover/locate/confirm fire ignition, (2) quickly scale fire resources up or down appropriately, (3) monitor fire behavior through containment, (4) during firestorms, help evacuations through enhanced situational awareness, and (5) ensure contained fires are monitored appropriately through their demise.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
Ken Blake: Making a Quick Locator Map
Atlas of Surveillance
A database and map of what surveillance technologies are used by police agencies across the United States. It is designed specifically for journalists reporting on the growth of high-tech policing.
WikiMapia
Use for fact-checking locations of photos and videos shared on social media.
Bellingcat: A Beginner’s Guide to Flight Tracking
Chips App: Create Satellite Chips
An interactive web app for creating Landsat/other imagery chips for any location around the globe. The app was built using streamlit, geemap, and Google Earth Engine. Developed by Ishaan Jhaveri and Yoni Nachmany of The New York Times, the toolt scrapes coordinates from a data file to grab available satellite pictures of your sites of interest. Just upload a KML or GeoJSON file.
Batch Geo
Mapping tool.
Google My Maps Now in Drive
Primer from Google, December 2014.
SnapMap
A live map of all the public stories people are sharing on Snapchat
Lifehacker: 10 Things You Didn’t Know Google Maps Could Do
BackCountryMaps.com
A Google Maps-based map with great information for all the backroads and by-ways.
Crowdmap
Helps you collect data from web, cell phones, etc., aggregate it and visualize it on a map.
Mapillary
A street-level imagery platform, powered by collaboration and computer vision. Use it to find user generated pictures of a variety of countries and cities.
MapChecking
Estimate crowd sizes with the maps mashup tool.
Latino News Media Map
An interactive map and directory of nearly 600 Latino news media outlets in the United States and Puerto Rico and a companion to the “State of the Latino News Media Report” by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
Free State Maps
Rights-free maps.
Color Brewer
Tool for selecting color schemes for cartography. Great tool.
MapAList
Turn spreadsheets into searchable maps.
AM Charts and Maps
Build great data visualizations with Javascript.
MyGeoPosition
Type in an address to get longitude/latitude. Also use it wit Twitter’s search to locate tweets in a specific area.
Stamen Maps
Free mapping tool.
Statplanet
Free application for creating interactive maps which are fully customizable.
Creately
Build collaborative flowcharts and graphics.
Global Maps Show Press Freedoms by Country
From the Global Post, the maps and stories show you the best/worst countries to be a journalist.
How to Make a Real-Time Travel Map
From the Thematic Mapping Blog.
Google World Wonders Project
Usings its StreetView technology, this Google tool lets you by continent or by themes — historic sites, wonders of nature, etc.
Heatmap.js
Build cool heatmaps for your websites.
Ushahidi
Open source code for interactive mapping.
Intro to Mapping and Mashing with Google Fusion Tables
Intro to Mapping and Mashing with Google Fusion Tables
Tutorial: QGIS Basics For Journalists
Free training from KDMC.
Georeferencer
Compare the past with the present. Old maps over Google maps.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
Free or cheap data tools for newsrooms
Essential Visualization Tools for Mapping
Mapstarter
Turn a geographic data file into a map.
Landline
A JavaScript library that creates SVG maps from GeoJSON. It comes with Stateline, which makes creating responsive U.S. state and county maps easy. Pull it off of GitHub.
Quickstart Mapping Guides
Links galore and some great primers.
Autocomplete Maps
Autocomplete Maps are a way to display Google Search Autocomplete results for a collection of places on a map. Although the results are not necessarily scientific or correct they can be quite informative and/or entertaining. Clicking the labels will display a list of all the Autocomplete results that were obtained.
Mapquest.com
Get lost all the time? This will help you search by address and zip code and get driving directions.
Iraq: Map Sources
In .PDF formats.
WhatWasThere
A Google Maps mashup of historical photos. Type in an address or intersection and you get photos of what used to be there.
Video: Tutorial on How to Use BatchGeo with Google Maps
Placeopedia.com
Jon Dube has pointed out this site: Wikipedia has entries about towns and geographic locations. This site links about places in Wikipedia with Google’s map tool.
MapBlast.com
Search by address and zip code.
Pew Social Trends
Social, demographics and stats galore. Great resource for localizing these national/global trends in your community. Has stats down to the local level.
Atlapedia Online
Full-color physical and political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world.
Meograph
Build maps/timelines in this mashup tool. Great way to build interactive stories.
Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool
Analyze college campus crime statistics with this resource from the Office of Postsecondary Education, part of the U.S. Department of Education.
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
OpenStreetMap
A free Wiki world map.
Sepiatown: Mapped Historical Photos, Film and Audio
Upload historical images by location. Then/now tool compares Google Streetview images along with images from the past.
OnTheMap for Emergency Management
Access detailed U.S. Census Bureau reports on the workforce and population for current natural hazard and emergency related events.
Rethinking Schools: Online Geography Test
A good quiz to give young
Yahoo! Maps
Allows you to pick any address and automatically map businesses and other entities in more than 50 categories.
Multimap
Online maps to everywhere.
Library of Congress: Maps Archives
The Library of Congress offers a massive collection of maps spanning more than 1,000 years.
For more training videos, visit our YouTube page.
Mapperz Mapping News
A blog about mapping.
GEMMA: Geospatial Engine for Mass Mapping Applications
From Gemma: “allows you to create Google Maps with data from a number of different sources. It is possible to create maps with gemma with layers from MapTube, SurveyMapper, OpenStreetMap and from your own data. Gemma even has an accompanying iPhone app that lets you record observations on the go and then upload them to a gemma map.”
Terrorist Attacks: Regional Maps of Afghanistan
Several maps of Afghanistan, Kabul and several other places in the country and region. From the University of Texas at Austin.
Historical Maps of Afghanistan
Ersys
A comprehensive collection of demographic, lifestyle, and economic data covering over 2,600 U.S. cities portrayed as thematic maps, informative reports, detailed tables and colorful charts — all freely available.
CNN Interactive Maps of Sept. 11
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
How Far Is It? Distance Calculator
W3 Web Tutorials
Learn HTML, CSS, etc.
Earthmine
Inventory of 3-D maps.
SATELLITE IMAGERY
NASA Worldview
Satellite imagery galore.
NASA LandSat Image Gallery
Hundreds of satellite images of Earth that are rights-free.
GIJN Guide for Finding and Using Satellite Images
Over-View
A map that contains thousands of free, high-res satellite images of the Earth.
NASA Active Wildfire Data Downloads
Shapefiles, datasets and more.
Google Earth Pro
Download this free software and find historical satellite imagery and build zoom-in and flyover videos. Google Moon and Google Mars are also available.
Google Earth Timelapse
Track changes over 32 years to environment, city, region.
Google Moon
Use the image map to track past Apollo missions and zoom in on various areas.
Google Earth
Free site that allows you to zoom in on your address/zip code from a satellite image.
The European Space Agency: Sentinel Imagery
Largest open-source satellite imagery resource in the world.
NASA Earth Data
Visually explore the past and present of our dynamic planet through NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS).
Planet Explorer
Explore daily high-resolution satellite imagery directly in your browser. With search, metafilters, and a timeline axis, Planet Explorer is the easiest tool to view daily imagery, prime your analysis, and see the planet change over time.
NASA USGS Earth Explorer
Deep archive of earth images back to the 1960s. Includes aerial and drone data and commercial satellite images.
GIJN: Video Resources for Mapping, Satellites, Storytelling, Testing, Tracking, and Disinformation
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