Cool Maps: ESRI Interactive Map Gallery
ESRI, the world’s
leading supplier of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, Web GIS, and
geodatabase management applications, has created an online maps gallery, Cool Maps.
The gallery contains 15 interactive mapping applications. From ESRI, Cool Maps is a “collection of creative maps that use the ESRI
Mapping Platform to demonstrate how solutions can be enriched with the power of
location. …They are designed to stimulate ideas and for demonstration purposes
only.”
The gallery
includes a mapping application called “Love Thy Neighborhood” where users enter
in a zip code to search for various lifestyle characteristics existing in
different zip codes. For example, the City Dimensions (above, click to enlarge) lifestyle is described
as a mixed race/ethnicity with a median age of 29.2 with lower middle income
who have overdraft protection. The map
indicates the location of this group in the chosen zip code. The application serves as a different way to
search for housing areas.
The “Sale of Two
Cities” application compares the cost of living between two cities. “Crime Time” maps crime in San Francisco by
neighborhood, time of day, and other factors.
“Socially Awkward” is a mapping application that tracks different
companies’ social media presence by the number of mentions—positive and
negative—and factors the percentage of male or female users. “World Happiness” maps the happiest countries
of the world based on the 2013 World Happiness Report. “Top and Bottom of the World” maps the top
and bottom three countries in the world in categories like inflation, power
consumption, life expectancy, and children with HIV.
Students
studying cartography can utilize the site to acquire ideas for new maps. Teachers can use the maps for various topics
of current events and classroom activities or to stimulate students to think in
spatial terms.
The Ball State
University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second
floor of Bracken Library offers access to ESRI GIS software and online GIS
tutorials, datasets, online mapping applications, in-house GIS data, and
one-on-one assistance from the GIS Specialist.
The GIS Research Area is equipped with 28 high-end Lenovo ThinkCentre
N58 computers, and faculty may reserve the area for instructional or working
lab sessions.
For more
information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.
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