Maproom's geospatial developer Rosalyn Ellis has been using Open AI and discovered that the AI language model quickly grasps some (though by no means all) of the features of Maproom's dynamic mapping demos, and is highly complimentary about them! Below is a screenshot of the artificial intelligence chat in which two of our maps are reviewed by ChatGPT. Artificial Intelligence is very much in the news at the moment, as some of its own developers including Elon Musk and Google's Geoffrey Hinton are warning of the potential dangers from its capability to manipulate and deceive. For example, Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari says that ChatGPT has breached a new threshold because of its ability to use language to shape human culture. “Simply by gaining mastery of the human language, AI has all it needs in order to cocoon us in a Matrix-like world of illusions.” Indeed, whilst we are delighted to receive such glowing reviews of our dynamic maps from the foremost AI algorithm, we ... Read more
Maproom News
New Local Authorities maps from April 2023 – Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, North Yorkshire and Somerset
We have updated all our Local Authority map bases in line with changes that have come into effect on 1 April 2023. As far as we can see, we have actually beaten the Government itself in issuing the new boundary data! The changes are as follows: Cumberland – formerly Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland Westmorland and Furness – formerly Barrow-in-Furness, Eden, South Lakeland North Yorkshire – formerly Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby Somerset – formerly Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset We sell two vector art packages for the Local Authorities: one juxtaposed with postcodes and the other without. Both are bundled with a premium pass for the Dynamic Mapping Suite, which contains interactive online maps of the new Local Authorities with advanced search. Users can colour and caption the Local Authorities online with their own data. If you have data you want to feed to the old Local ... Read more
Mapping from spreadsheets system launched in our Dynamic Mapping Suite
A powerful yet easy to use system of connecting spreadsheets to colour and label polygon maps is now available in our Dynamic Mapping Suite, and it costs only a very modest £35 to use. Currently available for dynamically colouring and captioning from spreadsheet: See a live example of a postcode district polygons map connected to a spreadsheet and learn more about mapping from spreadsheets. ... Read more
New census mapping
The Office for National Statistics has started to release data from the Census 2021. Below are some interactive England and Wales population maps that users can freely use on their own websites. Or commission us to create maps like these using other census data or marrying up census figures with your own data. Hover or tap different parts of the maps for data interaction ... Read more
Our 3d map of British and Irish mountains is an immersive demo of new techniques with advanced satellite imagery and filters
Mapbox – our favourite dynamic mapping base system – released a new system based on Maxar satellite imagery last year, whereby geospatial developers such as us can tap into elevation and projection for satellite views layered with our own points, lines and polygons. We have experimented with the new 3d system in conjunction with our own techniques developed for listing and filtering, and come up with a rather sublime demo using data from The Database of British and Irish Hills. Open full-size dynamic mountains map Learn more about how we feed data to dynamic maps like this on the 3d mountains exploration demo page. ... Read more
Europe and world maps updated for geopolitical events in 2022
The United Nations have accepted Turkey's official name spelling change to Türkiye with immediate effect, and Ukraine and Moldova have been accepted as EU candidate countries. Therefore we have updated our full set of Europe, EU and world maps to reflect these developments. ... Read more
Mapping the Elizabeth Line
We were surprised to be contacted by quite a few people requesting a map showing the Elizabeth Line in geographical context. Like all of the UK's official free rail maps, Transport for London's map of the Elizabeth Line, available here, is meant for schematic visual clarity in route planning. It doesn't attempt to show distances or other geospatial relationship. However, for town planners, property developers, marketeers and numerous other businesspeople and public sector organisations, it is useful to see the fuller picture of the Elizabeth Line. We have made the map for such people, and we have made it editable (ideally with Adobe Illustrator) and royalty free to use. Purchase the new map on this product page: Elizabeth Line map with rail and road networks. ... Read more
Mapbox and Google Maps fees for high web traffic
At Maproom we build most of our interactive web maps on a Mapbox base. We also sometimes use Google Maps as a base. Both systems have their merits and weaknesses; both charge fees for high usage; and both are in a constant state of development and competition with each other and the smaller players on the dynamic mapping scene. Here's a current comparison of Mapbox and Google Maps. SystemProsConsMapbox - used to power reference maps in our Dynamic Mapping SuiteFar more customisable than Google MapsCheaper than Google Maps for high trafficVarious ways to handle large data feedsNo StreetviewMediocre searchNot the highest resolution for satellite mapsGoogle Maps - used by us for some bespoke dynamic maps requiring Streetview or the highest resolution satellite imagery of LondonStreetview and the best search of all mapping systemsCompletely unable to handle advance styling or large data feeds Usage All web maps built with Mapbox and Google Maps are metered for usage. Usage ... Read more
The Dulwich Estate goes live with a public swipe-comparison map we built for them
Much of our interactive mapping work commissioned by clients is private – intended for an organisation's internal use and therefore not available to show off as our work. However, one of the interactive maps we have built for The Dulwich Estate in south London is now displayed publicly on their website. A deep-zoom swipe map, it is intended to show thousands of Dulwich residents which properties and land is covered by The Dulwich Estate's Scheme of Management. You can view the map embedded on their website here or the full-size version here. The Dulwich Estate boundaries are based on historic mapping data which we had to examine in great detail, overlaying scans of old maps onto new digital ones. Swipe-comparison maps are a good solution when you want to compare historic with now. Another example is our Then and Now map of Whitechapel. ... Read more
Try our new Quick Select online editing system to colour and caption postcode maps
If we hadn't been so busy with the pandemic and Brexit-related work in 2020, we would have launched the new Quick Select editing system months ago! Anyhow, it's finally landed – the ability to colour your postcode maps simply with point and click colouring. The system is available with a premium pass for our Dynamic Mapping Suite. Go to the live demo of the Quick Select system to try out the tools. ... Read more
New interactive online map published – Listed Buildings of Historic England
We've been busy in lockdown and built a wonderful interactive map of listed buildings in England. The first thing we did after flowing in the data was to look up listed buildings in our own neighbourhood. What will you find in your own areas of interest? The map is a demo of how we can create a wonderfully detailed online map using a large dataset. Learn more ... Read more
Displaying Shetland in a box on maps is now banned by law on official documents. Seriously.
Today a new law brought by the Islands (Scotland) Bill has come into force to ban public bodies from using maps that display Shetland in a box rather than in its natural geographic position 150 miles north of the Scottish mainland. The BBC article about the law, instigated by Islands Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott and supported by many who live on the Shetland Islands, uses a version of Maproom's Outline Map of Scotland to illustrate the news item. Now, whilst we are delighted to spot one of our maps getting a lot of attention, we want to point out that this map and most of our other Scotland and UK maps have always offered designers the option on whether to show Scotland in its accurate geographical position or in an inset box. With a Maproom map you will usually find Shetland in its natural geographic position on the first artboard of the Illustrator file. Use this version if you want or need to. Then again, that's a lot of empty sea top left that designers may find ... Read more
Our London base map used in BBC drama Bodyguard
Maproom maps are popular with TV production companies, and we were pleased to spot our London Street Map being used to good effect in the new BBC series Bodyguard last night. Our map appears in a scene in which actor Gina McKee, playing Commander Anne Sampson of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, has a team tracking a terrorist cell online whilst police race through South London to try to stop the terrorists reaching a school. The production team used one of our base map versions then added some moving coloured dots to signify the police car and terrorists' van moving down Brixton Road. The Bodyguard series is so far displaying itself a tightly woven fiction using many real locations, real BBC newscasters, and plausible events that echo the kind of real terrorist attacks we've experienced in the UK over the past decade. The tension ratcheting up in the first 20 minutes of Episode 1 made for compelling viewing, and we look forward to the rest of the ... Read more
Maps for travel guide to islands in the River Thames
Maproom recently had the pleasure of providing map bases for a delightful new travel guide in the creative and distinctive Carl Goes series. The book, called Carl Goes London Islands, tells stories of the islands and islanders of the River Thames. With Maproom's parent company being Thameside Media, the River Thames is close to our studio literally and in our hearts. Not only that, we also have a special interest in travel guides, having published many ourselves over two decades (though never specifically for the Thames). Thus we were delighted to oblige when Sascha Mengerink, the Netherlands-based publisher of the Carl Goes series, asked Maproom if we could provide detailed map bases of the Thames Valley showing all the islands set within the River Thames between the mouth of the river at Canvey Island in Essex upriver through central London to the tiny eyots and aits in the Thames in Surrey and Berkshire. We were able to oblige with map bases using Ordnance Survey open data ... Read more
China is now censoring world maps
It has been brought to our attention that Chinese authorities are now subjecting world maps to a process of verification to ensure they conform to China's sovereignty claims. For example, the depiction of disputed territories such as Taiwan and islands in the South China Sea and gas fields in the East China Sea must conform to Beijing's official view. Map projection, affecting the size of China in comparison with the rest of the world, is also under scrutiny. These restrictions affect all products sold in China, including maps on merchandise and within books, and they also affect maps printed in China on products destined for markets outside of China. The latter are now being impounded at Chinese customs whilst the authorities examine their origination and design. Consequences for products deemed to violate Chinese sovereignty may include fines and the order for companies to withdraw and destroy products. Recent cases include Gap being forced to apologise for selling ... Read more
Only In Edinburgh – beautiful and erudite new travel guide using Maproom maps
Maproom's parent company, Thameside Media, is closely associated with illustrated travel guides, having produced dozens of travel guides for different publishers over the years, including Eyewitness Japan, Blue Guide India, Real City Barcelona and Top 10 Algarve. This is why we were especially delighted and only too pleased to oblige when Duncan J.D. Smith, knowledgeable author of the Only In travel guides, approached Maproom to build custom maps of Edinburgh and her environs for his well-researched new guide, Only In Edinburgh. This guide is organised with thematic spreads delving into the more unexpected and unusual aspects of Scotland's capital. So that, rather than a dry description of St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral, we leap into the story of Leith-born sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi, whose giant foot sculpture is installed in the cathedral forecourt. We trace J.K. Rowling's coffee hangouts and speculate on the manifestation of the real George Heriot's ... Read more