GEOG 104
Compare Four Online Maps

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to compare the content of maps from several current on-line mapping services. So, the assignment is to make maps (one from each of The (USGS) National Map, GoogleMaps, Yahoo Maps, and OpenStreetMap) of a place of your choice (preferably a place you know pretty well, like your home town or current neighborhood), and compare their content and design.

[Given the recent issues with Apple's mapping software, if you have access to it and want to try it as one service in the comparison, please do!]

Some aspects of the content and design that you might consider are:

Do the databases agree with each other?
E.g., Are the streets, names, shapes, and connectivity the same? I'm especially intersted in finding where they don't agree! Keep a sharp look-out.
Do they agree with your experience / knowledge of the place?
Do the map designs seem similar? Kinds of features shown? Classifications, symbols and color schemes used?
Do they let you select/control what is shown? How? Similar / different interface and control widgets?
Do they specify and show the scale of the map? (How?)
Do they show or specify the coordinates for where it is? (How?)
You may also like to comment on the ease of use of the sites.
Does the site provide maps as images? Data for other use? Both?

To be fair, work with comparable scales, probably something larger than 1:24,000, maybe 1:18,000 or better; "zoomed-in" far enough that the streets are labled. Also, it's probably fairer to compare the on-screen maps rather than the printed ones. (I'm not sweating whether you have a color printer or not, you needn't either.)

The National Map Viewer

http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ a web interface to maps from USGS data.

Hints...
Overlays. Clear Map. Pan buttons. GIS Toolbox. "Base Map", "Imagery", and "Blank" buttons.

Open Street Map

http://www.openstreetmap.org/ offers maps and data based on user contributed information.

Hints...
"Zoom and hand drag pan" to select the area. "Export" Tab, select either the Mapnik or the Osmarender Image, and the PNG or JPG format. Note that you have bounding rectangle and scale (as a representative fraction like 1:27500) on screen here. Hit the "Export" button. It should return an image file that you can save or cut and paste from your browser.

Googe Maps

http://www.maps.google.com/ offers maps based on Google's database of geographic features.

Hints...
"Zoom and hand drag pan" to select the area. "Print" link. Toggle Satelite vs Map vs Terrain etc.

Yahoo Maps

http://maps.yahoo.com/ offers printable maps based apparently on Navteq's data.

Hints...
"Zoom and hand drag pan" to select the area. "Print" "send" and "Save" links. Map, Hybrid, Satellite buttons. Meta-map navigation. Latitude and Longitude in the URL.

Assignment Tasks & Strategy Instructions:

Pick a small area with which you are familiar.
Map the same area using each of the websites. Clearly, you should compare maps of approximately the same scale and coverage. (I.e., have the maps to show the same geographic area in the same screen area.)
Compare the maps. (See suggestions above.)
Print each of the maps. Maybe via screen grabs or saving them as image files.
Write a brief (1 page) report on what you found. Include the placename, the latitude and longitude, and the approximate scale of the maps, along with the differences and similarities you note. Don't forget to include your name!
Staple the pages together and turn them in.