How the US Arms the Mexican Drug Cartels / / No Comments There are only two gun stores in Mexico, and both are located on military bases. Yet the country still suffers from a major gun homicide problem. So where are the guns coming from?In 2015, a Mexican military helicopter was shot down by cartel fighters using a Browning machine gun and a Barrett .50-caliber rifle. Both weapons were traced back to legal purchases in U.S. gun shops. This stark Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Arms, Cartels, Drug, Mexican
The Largest Gathering in Human History / / No Comments The Maha Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious gatherings on Earth. It is a Hindu pilgrimage festival that occurs every 12 years. The 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, held in Prayagraj, was particularly significant because it was a “Maha Kumbh”, an event that takes place only once every 144 years, due to a rare celestial alignment.During the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, an estimated 663 million pilgrimages Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Gathering, History, Human, Largest
The Google Maps Platform Awards / / No Comments To mark two decades of mapping innovation, Google has announced the Google Maps Platform Awards, a new program created to celebrate the developers and innovators who have shaped the digital mapping landscape over the past 20 years. For those who build with geospatial tools, APIs, and data this is your opportunity to showcase your best work.Google aims to recognize the impact that developers have Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Awards, Google, maps, Platform
Map Any Event in History (or Fiction) / / No Comments The Battle of Hastings mapped by th Map Simulation Platform The Map Simulation Platform is a hugely ambitious project that uses AI to simulate text prompts in 3D on an interactive map. It employs natural language processing to interpret a prompt and render it on a geographical canvas. It’s similar to a text-to-image AI tool, except here the output is a dynamic, map-based scenario rather Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Event, Fiction, History
The Meaning Behind Our Place Names / / No Comments Have you ever walked down a street and wondered where its name came from? Was it named after a historical figure, a local landmark, or an ancient word lost to time? The Open Etymology Map helps answer these questions by uncovering the stories behind place names – using data from OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.🏷 The Etymology Tag in OpenStreetMapThe OpenStreetMap (OSM) project includes an ‘etymology Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Behind, Meaning, Names, place
A Panorama of Victorian London / / No Comments The city of London has inspired many beautiful panoramic maps over the centuries, each lovingly crafted by talented artists. Interestingly, these panoramas almost always share a common perspective – north from the south side of the River Thames. This same viewpoint is used in Frederick James Smyth’s 1844 Panorama of London.Exeter University’s Digital Humanities Lab has created an interactive Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: London, Panorama, Victorian
The 2024 Sea-Level Rise Map / / No Comments The 2024 U.S. Sea Level Report Cards from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) reveal that Gulf Coast states, particularly Louisiana and Texas, continue to experience some of the fastest rates of sea-level rise in the country.Published annually, the VIMS sea-level report uses observed tide gauge data to track sea-level trends across the United States and project future changes based Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: 2024, Rise, SeaLevel
The Marine Migration Map / / No Comments tracked migrations of the Green Turtle Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) is an interactive map visualizing the global migrations of more than 100 species of birds, mammals, turtles and fish. The aim of the map is to bring together knowledge about the migratory routes and connected habitats of marine species, such as marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and fish, in order to help Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Marine, Migration