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Showing posts from March, 2010

Scribble Maps Secrets

Since we are currently working on documentation there are some not well know features that are in Scribble Maps but not well documented, or under utilized. Ctrl-Z: While we have undo buttons listed in Pro, ctrl-z actually works in Scribble Maps as well, this allows you to undo the last action you did, including erase. Ctrl-S: This is a quick key to rapidly save your map, if you have already specified a password, this will quickly save the map, great for working on large projects. Map Importing: Maps can actually be imported into other maps, or used to duplicate a map to another other id. This functionality can be found under load/import. KML Feed Support: KML can be loaded directly into a widget by adding the flash var kml=path, further more, KML can be loaded directly into scribble maps via the following url http://www.scribblemaps.com/#q=path. OpenStreetMap & CloudMade: In addition to Google, Scribble Maps also support OpenStreetMap and cloudmade tile layers, that you can dr

Cluster View Video

We have recently implemented cluster viewing for both Scribble Maps, Pro, and all widgets, here is a link , or watch the video below.

Draggable Marker Windows

We have implemented draggable windows for marker editing (both text and icon markers). Here is a video demonstrating it:

Scribble Maps at Google I/O 2010

We are heading to Google IO this year and are interested in talking to anyone who might be interested in working with or implementing Scribble Maps. We are constantly improving our service and finding new ways to make GIS and map making even easier. If you're interested in meeting send a message to [email protected].

The Closing of Platial

The closing of platial is both sad, and exciting. After platial's first year they had 15,000 user create maps. On the 29th of this year, ScribbleMaps will be exactly one year old, and we have had around 14,000 user created maps (not including private maps). Firstly, the closing of platial is sad because their goal was essentially the same as ours, to make an easy to use online mapping application that anyone could use. Scribble Maps while a little different then platial in terms of our objectives for mapping, one of our main focuses is drawing, it is still enough to make us a little sad to see it go. Next, we are excited because platial is a good example of what people can do when they have easy to use tools. We're excited to see what you will make using Scribblemaps.

Line Endpoint Snapping

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We have implemented point snapping for lines and scribbles. This functionality is particularly important for those who use scribble maps to generate GPX files. This is useful for things like biking and hiking trails because you can keep long drawn lines connected. Check out the image below for an example of line snapping.

Spreadsheet Text Markers

Much requested, we have implemented the ability to populate text markers through the spread sheet. Check it out!

Circle Data Visualization

A very common way to visualize large amounts of data is to use circles of varying size. We have improved our spreadsheet functionality for drawing circles, and the great part about using Scribble Maps to do the visualization is that you can also specify blend modes. Below is a US population circle visualization for the year 2000, the mode being used is median deviation; in this mode all cities who have exceptionally large populations or exceptionally small populations are represents by bigger circles. Circle visualization is a great way to do some rough spatial analysis as well. To use this mode just load a spreadsheet in pro, and then select the associated options for drawing circles under the drawing tab.

Hiding Ads for White Boards

We have added the ability to hide ads on ScribbleMaps.com. Since we know that Scribble Maps often gets used with white boards in the classroom and/or boardroom, we implemented this functionality to make Scribble Maps more white board friendly.

Real Estate Mapping

One of the great advantages of pro is the ability to not only import spread sheets, but also then annotate as well. http://www.beavercreekonline.com utilizes Scribble Maps not only for real estate but for buildings and attractions as well. In addition you can even rotate the map to make it easier to understand for potential clients. Want to make your real estate map listings more interesting? Use Scribble Maps to add interesting points of interest such as beaches, malls, and schools. Check out one of the ways it was used here .

Matt & Mike's Charity Kayak Challenge

Found this great map on Scribble Maps for Matt & Mike's charity challenge. Read more about them here .

Heat Maps!

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Scribble Maps Pro now supports heat maps! This is one of our biggest additions to Scribble Maps to date. To make a heat map, upload a spreadsheet, and then hit the "heat" tab. Not only can you adjust all colors of the heat map, you can also adjust the blend mode. All heat maps can be saved as Jpegs or widgets. I will work on a video further explaining heat maps, but you can check it out below: