# Interactive maps

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 21, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866 "2018-04-21T17:57:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/1 "2018-04-21T17:57:16Z")

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Here’s a couple specialized (not general maps like Googlemaps, Mapquest, etc.) interactive maps I know of:

[Dams removed in the US](https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/restoring-damaged-rivers/dam-removal-map/)

[Wind turbines in the US](https://eerscmap.usgs.gov/uswtdb/) (you have to click on the launch button)

[Roundabouts](http://roundabout.kittelson.com/) (originally intended to be for the US and Canada only, although they’ll take them from other countries.)

Anyone have any others they’d like to share?

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### Author: ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/2 "2018-04-21T21:15:41Z")

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Bombsight - list of all known bombs that fell on London during WW2

> **[Bomb Sight - Mapping the London Blitz](http://bombsight.org/#15/51.5050/-0.0900)**
>
> Explore the London Blitz through our website. Discover London during WW2 bombing raids, exploring maps, images and memories. The Bomb Sight web map and mobile app reveals WW2 bomb census maps between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941, previously available...

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### Author: ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/3 "2018-04-21T22:15:26Z")

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One of my favorites: [DarkSiteFinder](http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html%E2%80%9D).

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### Author: ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/4 "2018-04-22T00:00:37Z")

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Awesome bomb map, casdave. If you zoom out, it becomes a massive clump of red dots. Makes one wonder how the city survived the war.

beowulff, your link has gone over to the dark side.

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### Author: ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/5 "2018-04-22T00:43:15Z")

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> **[Old Maps Online](https://www.oldmapsonline.org/)**
>
> The easy-to-use getaway to historical maps in libraries around the world.

This is a great site that lets you go to any area and look up older maps for that region.

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### Author: ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/6 "2018-04-22T00:54:07Z")

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> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Awesome bomb map, casdave. If you zoom out, it becomes a massive clump of red dots. Makes one wonder how the city survived the war.
> 
> beowulff, your link has gone over to the dark side.

Argh - try [this](http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html).

ETA: That link should work, but the site seems to be wedged right now. I’ll confirm it’s correct and post back.

ETA, ETA: It’s working in Firefox, not working in Safari.

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### Author: ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/7 "2018-04-22T01:01:07Z")

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This features maps and descriptions of the entire US/Canada border, from Atlantic to Pacific.

> **[United Divide | The Center for Land Use Interpretation](https://clui.org/projects/united-divide)**
>
> UNITED DIVIDE: A Linear Portrait of the USA/Canada Border

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### Author: ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/8 "2018-04-22T01:27:50Z")

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Whoops, that last one of mine wasn’t interactive.

But this Ferry Map site is!

[http://www.howderfamily.com/travel/ferries.html](http://www.howderfamily.com/travel/ferries.html)

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### Author: ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/9 "2018-04-22T01:48:50Z")

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> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> [http://www.oldmapsonline.org/](http://www.oldmapsonline.org/)
> 
> This is a great site that lets you go to any area and look up older maps for that region.

As a lover of old maps, I love it.

> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Argh - try [this](http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html).
> 
> ETA: That link should work, but the site seems to be wedged right now. I’ll confirm it’s correct and post back.
> 
> ETA, ETA: It’s working in Firefox, not working in Safari.

Yes, I got it to work. I’m also interested in astronomy, but don’t actually observe due to an eye problem.

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### Author: ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/10 "2018-04-22T16:57:56Z")

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As a historian one of my favorite sites is: [http://www.historicaerials.com/](http://www.historicaerials.com/) Not maps, but full coverage aerial photography. Like Google maps but from past years. In my area they go back to 1952. Go to the site and click on “viewer” and put in an address or town name. You can zoom in and select what years you want. Older topographical maps are also available.

Dennis

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### Author: ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/11 "2018-04-22T17:36:52Z")

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Another old map site is: [http://www.historicmapworks.com/](http://www.historicmapworks.com/) In Ohio they go back to the county atlases of the 1800s.

Dennis

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### Author: ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/12 "2018-04-23T04:10:54Z")

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Back in January, I gave a talk at Chicago’s Newberry Library about national or worldwide slippy map services _other than_ Google Maps. I put together [an online list,](http://chicagocarto.com/beyondgooglemaps.html) some of which may be of interest.

I have a bunch of bookmarks for the more specialized online maps called for by the OP, but it may take me a day or two to make a list of them.

For anything related to Chicago, though, you can start at [Chicago in Maps.](http://chicagoinmaps.com/)

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### Author: ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/13 "2018-04-23T20:40:30Z")

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> [@casdave](#):
>
> Bombsight - list of all known bombs that fell on London during WW2
> 
> [Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census](http://bombsight.org/#15/51.5050/-0.0900)

It is specifically the bombs that fell on London during the Blitz which was approx. September 1940 to May 1941. About 8 months!

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### Author: ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/14 "2018-04-24T19:09:30Z")

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Here are a few (more later), with varying levels of interactivity:

[Visualizing the racial divide](http://vallandingham.me/racial_divide/)  
[Cyber attacks globally, in real time](http://map.norsecorp.com/#/)  
[Trees of New York City](http://jillhubley.com/project/nyctrees/)  
[Plan your trip safely as a 1950-1980 African American](http://publicdomain.nypl.org/greenbook-map/trip.html)  
[Where do people talk like you?](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=)

Mr. Downtown, outstanding. Perhaps you’ll consider giving a talk at the [meeting I’m organizing this November 1-3](https://www.uwlax.edu/conted/wldaag/), just up the road from Chicago.

(I did some of my historical map research for my undergrad degree years ago at the Newberry – what a gem.)

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### Author: ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/15 "2018-04-24T22:04:20Z")

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> [@Mr\_Downtown](#):
>
> Back in January, I gave a talk at Chicago’s Newberry Library about national or worldwide slippy map services _other than_ Google Maps.

Damn, I love the Newberry. Been too long since I visited. Waaaay too long, frankly. Like Last Century too long. Your mention of it and its lovely maps has me Jonesing for it.

Peabody Library in Baltimore is also wonderful as far as old maps (and architecture) go.

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### Author: ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/16 "2018-04-24T22:22:58Z")

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[True Size maps](https://thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTY0NjUyMzc.MzE3Njc3Ng*MzU0NzE2NTA(MjAyMDQ3OA~!CONTIGUOUS_US*MTAwMjQwNzU.MjUwMjM1MTc(MTc1)Mg~!IN*NTI2NDA1MQ.Nzg2MzQyMQ)MA~!CN*OTkyMTY5Nw.NzMxNDcwNQ(MjI1)MQ). Pick Alaska or Australia (or Greenland or widdle baby Texas) and drag them over different areas.

[Antipodes map](https://www.antipodesmap.com/). See if you will get to China if you dig a hole straight down (spoiler: you won’t in North America or Europe).

Roundabout map is missing a bunch near me. I guess I could help.

Probably stretching things, but the [Map of Metal](https://mapofmetal.com/).

> [@beowulff](#):
>
> One of my favorites: [DarkSiteFinder](http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html%E2%80%9D).

Based on the name and the link not working on my browser, I initially thought it was for black sites and the NSA nabbed you.

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### Author: ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interactive-maps/812866/17 "2018-04-25T19:49:24Z")

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the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, an arm of NASA, has a population estimator [interactive world map](http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/mapping/popest/gpw-v3/) that I’ve seen mentioned a few times on this board. You can draw a polygon or circle and get an estimate of how many people live inside it.

Just yesterday I was looking at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s remarkably detailed interactive [map of the trail](http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail) (click on “launch interactive map” toward the bottom of that page).
