Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Mapping the Philly Pope-Fest

The Pope is coming to Philadelphia this weekend. Security measures include banning cars, closing bridges, transit and schools and building a fence around the event perimeter. To keep track of all this data scientist Lauren Ancona has created the Philly Pope Map showing all available public data.
https://phillypopemap.com
There is also a timeline for the various closures. Here's a zoomed in version.
https://phillypopemap.com/#15/39.9586/-75.1680
There's a bit of an assumption that you know what some of these colored areas are. If you're in the area you probably do but for the rest of us, a legend would be helpful. This map from the Philadelphia Inquirer helps explain the different zones, but doesn't have the same interactive pizzazz.
http://www.philly.com/philly/infographics/321846572.html
If you come in from out of town and you don't want to pay for an over-inflated hotel room, you can pay for an over-inflated campsite at "Francis Fields" in beautiful Fairmount Park. Of course, you'll have to walk the two plus miles each way.
UPDATE: Actually no, you can't - they just cancelled it due to lack of demand for over-inflated camping.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pope/20150910_Fairmount_Park_campgrounds_being_set_up_for_papal_visit.html
 Personally, I think I will wait at least a few more weeks before my next visit.

No comments: