Map of the Week - World Climate Zones

Having just spent some time in a (thankfully) different climate zone, I've been interested in world climate zone maps. In geography class we all studied the Koppen Climate Classification. This map is fairly well done and has a nice legend that explains the complicated classifications well. Unfortunately you can't zoom in to see exactly what's happening in your favorite vacation spot.

Scribd has a map that's nice and easy to zoom and pan. Unfortunately they do not translate the legend and I forgot my zone codes.

If you like your climate maps nice and simple you can always try this one. A bit crude but good for the general concept.

Map of the Week - Quilts of Perception

Diane Savona, a mixed media and textile artist from New Jersey sent me some nice pictures of map quilts she's done. Here is "A Map of Hometown Perceptions" showing the area around Paterson and Passaic, New Jersey.


In her own words:
"A young man told me that he is afraid to go into neighboring Paterson, with it’s mostly African American population: it’s dangerous. I’m a middle-aged woman, and feel no such danger. I thought about this as I was reading “Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad” and wondered if I could use my quilting to explore subconscious feelings and prejudices. This map explores the perceptions we develop about our homes and our neighbors. Most of the materials used were obtained at local garage sales.
I was born & raised in Clifton, pictured here as the all-white, fiercely non-integrated community of my childhood – the borders are tightly sewn with measuring tapes. Now living in the much more interesting city of Passaic, I sewed in layers of Jewish, Hispanic and African textiles. One section of Passaic is marred with soot, representing the big fire several years back. The neighboring town of Nutley is presented with a police badge, reflecting my son’s view of it as a highly regimented police state. West Paterson is seen as merely a rise of ground – growing up in the shadow of Garret Mountain, I had no idea what lay behind."

This detailed section helps to clarify the above quote.

Map of the Week-Where's that smell coming from?

Those of you who read Japan Probe regularly were treated to the following article last month entitled "Japanese site tracks stinky areas using Google Maps"

"Odor-obsessed weirdos in Japan now have a place to hang out on the net: Nioibu.com. The site allows users to sign up and enter reports of odors they encounter, tracking the stinky locations using markers on Google Maps.

A few examples: watermelon smell, ferret odor, old lady stench(”grandma smell”), gasoline fumes, and curry."

Here are maps of that Watermelon smell in case you wish to avoid it.

Apparently there's also a watermelon stink emanating from Maryville, Missouri (Phillips Hall, NW Missouri State University) - if my translation is correct.

Map of the Week - Stay Indoors!

I'm not a regular at NOAA's weather pages so I don't know how typical this is but today's weather map sure looks scary-and colorful too! The legend was hard to copy and paste and is hard to read anyway. You can click the image to get to their interactive map and see what you should be scared of in your back yard. We've got advisories on boats, wind, avalanches, floods, fire, gales, snow storms (I'm watching one as I type), cold and fog. Even Hawaii's in on the action with surf advisories. The ten plagues! One of the safest places to be today is Alaska.
Have a great New Year, stay warm and dry!

Map of the Week-Christmas Lights

With all the do it yourself map technology available it's surprising how few maps of Christmas lights I've been able to find. The best one for sheer volume is the Chicagoland Christmas Lights page.

The locations are color coded and you can click them for more information. Unfortunately no pictures come up but some of them have web links such as Nick's Lights. Thank you Nick Diaz. Happy holidays!

Map of the Week-Are You Happy?

This map shows "subjective well being" and is based on data from Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss. So maybe you thought Disney World was the happiest place on earth but you're wrong! It's Denmark!

I have not read this book so I don't know what all the criteria are but the caption references Happy Denmark's free education and health care as well as spending on the elderly and children. I agree that governments should spend on the elderly and children but am a bit skeptical that spending = happiness.


The map was produced by a geography student at
the University of Oregon and appeared in their alumni magazine. Thanks to Michael5000 for another great submission. Yes it only takes me 5-6 months to get reader's submissions out!

Map of the Week-Filling Empty Space

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is being built on an empty desert landscape around the village of Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. They have put together this interactive map (takes a minute or two to load) as a recruiting tool. In their own words:
"Just launched this month, the map offers students, faculty, research partners and community members the opportunity to explore the university via an immersive and cutting edge digital map, highlighting everything from residential flats, lab and research facilities, sustainability features, community services, recreational facilities, flyover video and more.
Currently the interactive map's main purpose is that of a recruiting tool, something which differentiates it from virtually every other campus map. Rather than showing students how to get from point A to point B, however, the map serves to share the KAUST story with them. Also, KAUST is using the map to showcase its commitment to sustainability by highlighting the green aspects of every building."

The map allows you to switch between the plans for the university and an aerial view (left) and is "the only physical link to an entire institution which does not yet exist."




This empty piece of desert is rapidly being transformed as this recent photo shows.

Soon it will look like this:

Thanks to Jason Hellman of Fleishman-Hillard for the above comments.