INTERACTIVE MAPPING

Easily find out more about locations around the world

Add layers of contextual information to landmarks
Connect text & images to places on maps

Online interactive maps allow people to search for and share information about geographic
locations around the world. Basic services include searching for addresses or landmarks,
getting driving directions between places, and viewing satellite images of locations.

The interactive nature of online maps enables people to

use and add layers of information to maps including:
photos; building names & information (such as a business
name, hours, etc); live traffic information; encyclopedic
information from wikipedia.org; and many other layers of
custom information that has a spatial dimension.
Dynamic maps can be easily embedded in other
websites, showing custom layers of information (such as
City pool locations). Participants can easily mark their own information to maps to create
thematic maps.

Many mobile phones have mapping applications that allow the owner to view current
location, nearby landmarks, and get driving directions to other locations. To learn about
mapping for mobile phones, there is a short video at http://commoncraft.com/mylocation or
check out the FAQ sections of any of the sites listed below.

Potential City Uses

• Recreation centre locations, hours & information

• Seasonal information, such as road construction
• Community requests – potholes, park maintenance

A few examples of governments using interactive maps:

Ottawa outdoor skating: http://www.christaggart.com/labs/ottawa-outdoor-skating-rinks/

OC Transpo Bus Stop locator: http://www.octranspo.com/maps/busstops/map.asp
Nanaimo, BC Google Earth layer: http://earth.nanaimo.ca/

Interactive mapping websites:

http://maps.yahoo.com/
http://maps.google.com/

http://maps.live.com/ http://earth.google.com/

Note: Some of the tools & links discussed in these fact sheets are not accessible through the City’s network.
However, we encourage you to explore these tools on your personal time to learn more about each topic area.

Part of the Web 2.0 Fact Sheet Series – supporting the Web 2.0 Seminars

web2.0seminars@ottawa.ca | 2008