Google Australia engineers have created a Flash map to keep track of the deadly bushfires ravaging the southeastern part of the country and help reduce the traffic burden to the official sites coordinating emergency services.
The fires, which have reportedly claimed more than 100 lives, are being tracked in real-time with information provided by the State of Victoria's Country Fire Authority via an RSS feed. The numbers on the map markers indicate the number of fires at that location and the colors represent the current containment status of that site (green represents safe, yellow for controlled, orange for contained, and red going).
"We hope that it's of some use to people who may be affected, to emergency services personnel, and that it takes some load off other websites which are being inundated," the team wrote in a blog posting. "The map certainly makes the scale of this disaster immediately apparent."
The team says it is working to incorporate additional information into the map and also offers tips for Web site operators who want to embed the map on their sites.
Additionally, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has posted a Google-powered map on its site.
The blog Liako.Biz has posted an examination of how data portability allows for these maps to be created.
When you've gotta go you've gotta go. Unfortunately, finding a place to do that when you're in New York, one of the largest cities in the world, can be difficult unless you've got some local knowledge.
Human-powered search engine Diaroogle is up to the task. It'll help you find the nearest toilet based off its user-generated database. Like Mizpee, which does the same thing but with a much cuter pretense, it's got user ratings for general cleanliness, the rules of gaining entrance, and occasionally even pictures snapped by users to show how good or bad the porcelain sanctuary is.
All toilets are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, and are done so by the submitter. If you disagree with someone's review, or policies have changed that would keep you from being able to access said bathroom, you have the option to rebuke it with your own review. Going forward, it would be smart to add user ratings and comments to pre-existing entries.
Of course, because this is a mobile toilet finder, all of this hinges on the experience you'd get accessing the site from your phone. Since it's running through your mobile device's browser, it can't take advantage of any of that newfangled GPS or Wi-Fi positioning business. Instead, you'll need to feed in a street address, neighborhood, or ZIP code. There's no map, so you'll need to use something like Google Maps, or to ask a stranger so you can get going--err get to a place where you can go.
Diaroogle is off to a promising start, although compared with perennial all-star Mizpee, it's missing the other 49 states and all of Europe, along with some helpful items like hours of operation, mobile maps, and the business model of including coupons from local retailers.
[via BuzzFeed]
Looking for a toilet in NYC? Diaroogle will help you out, although it's less helpful on the phone than it is from a laptop.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
I bet you didn't know there's an easy way to see what terrorist or suspicious activities are happening around the world, on a map. Are you curious as to where there have been UFO sightings? How would you like to map your photos or, even potentially more useful, find a public toilet near you?
Mike Pegg over at the Google Maps Mania blog has created an entertaining and handy list of 100 things you can do with Google Maps mashups.
The options range from the very convenient, such as how to find cheap gas in your area or how to create a running route, to the slightly more esoteric, like how to map your location in relation to Mecca for Muslim prayers or where to buy beer in Ontario.
Wow, I didn't know that the exact other side of the world from San Francisco is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, just due southeast of Madagascar!
GlobalIncidentMap.com maps out terrorist incidents and suspicious activities on a Google Map.
(Credit: GlobalIncidentMap.com)
We're always on the lookout for smart travel tools, and World Taximeter is no exception. It's an intelligent mashup, combining directions from Google Maps with local cab fares. It'll let you know how much the ride should cost using local rates by distance and time of day, and combining that with live traffic estimations from Google. Depending on what country you're in, it'll also give you the heads up on any additional charges, like if you're booking it over the phone, or traveling on a weekend. For anyone who's visiting a foreign country for the first time, the service might be a good way to figure out if your cabbie is trying to fleece you for a few extra bucks, or if they're taking you the extra-scenic route.
The site can be accessed on the Web or on your mobile phone. Each city listing has two or more local cab numbers, which can be helpful if you don't feel like using GOOG-411 or TellMe. Users can also recommend their own favorite cab companies to be added to the directory.
What World Taximeter doesn't do is let you book a cab right on the page, or supply you with information about how far away the nearest cab is. Two services that have been tracking cabs include Google's Ride Finder, and Cabspotting the project put together by the Exploratorium and Yellow Cab nearly two years ago. Between the two, Google's is a little more helpful since it actually gives you the identity and phone number of the cab in question in case you feel like trying your luck at booking it.
The service is currently in beta, and is soon to add the city of Paris and Spanish-language support.
Driving directions on Google not cutting it for things like cab fares? World Taximeter does the math for you and includes local knowledge like special fees or rates by distance and time. It beats finding out the hard way.
(Credit: CNET Networks)I discovered Hotspotr at SF Beta this past week. It's a neat little service that mashes up Google maps with a local Wi-Fi hotspot finder. The real pull of the service is you can rate and comment on hotspots as you would with restaurant reviews on a review site like Yelp. It's the perfect service for the casual Wi-Fi traveler to benefit from road warriors who are willing to take the time to review a wireless access point.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
The ratings aren't just things such as the overall quality of the wireless signal either; you also can rate food and drink, outlet availability, and whether it's better for work or play.
One of the neatest parts of using Hotspotr is its zoom technology called GZoom. GZoom lets you draw a simple rectangle to zoom into precisely the part of the map you want. Sure you can accomplish something similar by simply double clicking on the spot you're looking for, but GZoom lets you select certain regions with much more accuracy.
Hotspotr has listings for more than 1,200 cities right now and a mobile version of the site for use on your cell phone.
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