Universal Library   Maps searching

by fravia+
Updated: September 2006
Introduction
Geoportal
Dutch map 24
Google maps
Yahoo maps
Microsoft maps
Latitude & Longitude mapsc
Astronomical maps
Historical maps
Useful maps


Introduction
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Finding elusive paths in order to exit some guinea pigs' mazes...

There is a wealth of information on the web, as this map section testifies. I have gathered here only a broad 'palette' of tools, readers that have found/will find better tools are kindly requested to deliver.




Geoportal
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EU-Commission's answer to google's maps (somehow coming from https://www.geographynetwork.com/servlet/GN_MapViewer_Login):
http://eu-geoportal.jrc.it/

"Please note that this is an experimental prototype version of the EU Geo-Portal, aiming at better understanding user requirements and at defining the standards-based technical specifications of the future operational system. Please be advised that there is currently a new version of the EU Geo-Portal under development which will also offer additional functionality. The updated version will be available during the next few months and no later than the end of (sic) 2005.
(This "2005" is still there Mid-September 2006. Obviously noone cares in the EU about updating info for the public).



Dutch map 24
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This is useful for the whole european union (but not only Europe):
http://www.nl.map24.com/ just input street, town and country :-)
The same in english: http://www.uk.map24.com/




Google maps
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Ole google introduced a limited global (but useful) mapping service:
For instance:
http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=aachen
or
http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=venice
or
http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=amsterdam

Yep. Go there and then use the enlarging options... not everything on our globe, just the whole 'first world', where the monney is... the states, canada, japan, the european union (france, germany, italy, spain, the uk etcetera). Also try satellite & mixed modes.
So, not everything (east countries & africa/asia -apart japan- are still blank), and not perfect (many spell-mistakes in every "non english" country) and also a lot of crap commercial results: http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=greifswald (greifswald is in Germany, duh). but quite frankly still *alot of useful data* and a lot of quite useful maps.



Yahoo maps
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http://maps.yahoo.com/ only states and canada, alas.

However you may also use the recent "beta" facility:
http://maps.yahoo.com/beta/index.php
with a fairly good satellite resolution at medium levels (as ususally served by akamai's akadns.net).



Microsoft maps
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http://mappoint.msn.com/ Very crappy and extremely commercial (note the automated id-string appended to your destination url for tracking purposes).
But, still, here too you'll find many (rather lame) maps of the 'first world cum monney' gendre.
Microsoft has also a (US-only) Terraserver



Latitude & Longitude maps
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Full of crap ads, but can still be useful, for instance Venice:
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=45.4419&lon=12.3259&scale=5000&icon=x
Note how you can choose both latitude and longitude and also the resolution, here CH 2113 at resolution 50000:
www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=46.917&lon=6.5991&scale=50000&icon=x
And here the same part of Switzerland at resolution 4000000.



Astronomical maps
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See the Space station
For instance from Amsterdam: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=Netherlands®ion=None&city=Amsterdam
(It works this way)

Heavens above (full of advertisement crap, use Opera + proxomitron to clean it up)
Lotta info, for instance Amsterdam

Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
"This website presents data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project to make a map of a large part of the universe. We build the largest map in the history of the world".
http://www.sdss.org/dr1/: "The DR1 is the first major data release and provides images, imaging catalogs, spectra, and redshifts for download".



Historical maps
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http://www.davidrumsey.com/recentadditions.html: David Rumsey collection. Has an awful and rather crappish "inside browser" that you'll have to circumvent (e.g. using ethereal) in order to peruse the maps somehow effectively.
"The David Rumsey Collection was started nearly 20 years ago, and focuses primarily on cartography of the Americas from the 18th and 19th centuries, but also has maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, globes, school geographies, books, maritime charts, and a variety of separate maps, including pocket, wall, children's and manuscript."

"The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia maintains a collection of more than 800 historic maps spanning nearly 500 years, from the sixteenth century through the early twentieth century. The collection provides a graphic resource upon which scholars can draw in re-discovering the minds and movements of early American explorers, revolutionary statesmen, cultural figures and politicians represented by the library's book and manuscript collections". http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/maps.html

The Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.
Has an awful and rather crappish "captive viewer" that you'll have to circumvent (e.g. using ethereal) in order to peruse the maps somehow effectively.
How to search it

And Tony Campbell's useful links: Europe, Africa, Asia, World



Useful maps
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http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html: The Perry-Castaņeda Library Map Collection of the texas uni, for instance: former soviet union: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth.html... pray, have some Kazakistan in brown and in green, or -say- check who, elsewhere, speaks tabasaran (Khanag tabasaran of course: the higher the declension level, the more fun you have with proverbs :-)
Note that the Perry-Castaņeda collection beats many "commercial" maps providers on the web. If you need for instance a map of Somalia you will be able to choose among many recent maps.


Petit image

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