<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="ES"><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0.75pt;"><p><span lang="EN-US">The rapid evolution of tools for mapping open data is an important trend for the intersection of data, new media, citizens and society. </span><span>Whether it's <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/02/fcc-fortiusone-issuemap.html" target="_blank">mapping issues</a>, <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/02/national-broadband-map.html" target="_blank">mapping broadband access</a> or <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/01/esri-australia-ushahidi.html" target="_blank">mapping crisis data</a>, geospatial technology is giving citizens and policy makers alike new insight into the world we inhabit. Below, earthquake data is mapped in Japan.</span></p>
<p><span>Earlier today, Washington-based <a href="http://developmentseed.org/" target="_blank">Development Seed</a> launched <a href="http://developmentseed.org/blog/2011/apr/26/mapbox-launches-tilestream-hosting-and-announces-tilemill-appliance" target="_blank">cloud-based hosting</a> for files created with their map design suite, <a href="http://mapbox.com" target="_blank">MapBox</a>. </span></p>
<p><span>"We are trying to radically lower the barrier of entry to map making for organizations and activists," said <a href="http://developmentseed.org/team/eric-gundersen" target="_blank">Eric Gundersen</a>, the founder of Development Seed. </span></p>
<p><span>Media organizations and nonprofits have been making good use of Development Seed's tools. MapBox was used to tell stories with <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/09/widgets-maps-and-visualization.html" target="_blank">World Bank data</a>. The <a href="http://maps.ed.gov/broadband" target="_blank">Department of Education broadband maps</a> were designed with Development Seed's open source <a href="http://developmentseed.org/blog/2011/feb/16/announcing-tilemill-modern-map-design-studio-powered-open-source" target="_blank">TileMill</a> tool and are hosted in the cloud. The Chicago Tribune also used TileMill to <a href="http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/census-2010/population-change/index.html" target="_blank">map population change</a> using open data from the United States census. </span></p>
<p><span>Maps from the MapBox suite can be customized as interactive embeds, enabling media, nonprofits and government entities to share a given story far beyond a single static web page. For instance, the map below was made using <a href="http://data.baltimorecity.gov" target="_blank">open data in Baltimore</a> that was released by the city earlier this year:</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p><p><span>"This isn't about picking one person's API," said Gundersen. "This is working with anyone's API. It's your data. It's your tiles. If we do this right, we're about to have a lot of good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_system" target="_blank">GIS</a> folks who will be able to make better web maps. There's a lot of locked up data that could be shared."</span></p>
<h2><span>Making maps faster with Node.js</span></h2><p><span>After making its mark in open source development with <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/02/drupal-distributions-for-open.html" target="_blank">Drupal</a>, Development Seed is now focusing on Node.js. </span></p>
<p><span>Why? <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/04/why-speed-matters.html" target="_blank">Speed matters</a>. "Data projects really are custom and they need more of a framework that focuses on speed," said Gundersen. "That's what Node.js delivers." </span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nodejs" target="_blank">Node.js</a> is a relatively recent addition to the development world that has seen high-profile adoption at Google and Yahoo. The framework was created by Ryan Dahl (<a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/ryah" target="_blank">@ryah</a>). Jolie O'Dell covered <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/03/10/node-js/" target="_blank">what's hot about Node.js</a> this March, focusing on its utility for real-time web apps. </span></p>
<p><span>(If you're interested in getting <a href="http://ofps.oreilly.com/titles/9781449398583/" target="_blank">up and running with Node.js</a>, O'Reilly has a <a href="http://ofps.oreilly.com/titles/9781449398583/" target="_blank">preview</a> of an <a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781449398583/" target="_blank">upcoming book</a> on the framework.)</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span> </span></p><p><b><span>Related:</span></b><span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span> </span></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal">
<span><a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/04/data-journalsm-interactive-maps.html" target="_blank">Maps aren't easy</a></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span> </span></p><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUCHr2H-7_g" target="_blank">Tom Hughes-Croucher on Node.js</a></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span> </span></p><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/02/national-broadband-map.html" target="_blank">Broadband availability and speed visualized in new government map</a></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<span> </span></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/01/journalist-data-tools.html" target="_blank">4 free data tools for journalists (and snoops)</a></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
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