Haarlem & Harlem on Google Maps

Haerlem.nu is a website dedicated to recording and presenting the history of Haarlem in the Netherlands. Part of the project includes a Google Map that features historical landmarks, photographs and historical notes about locations in the city.



If you sign-up as a 'mosquito' (as the natives of Haarlem call themselves) you can add your own memories, history or photos to the map. With Haerlem.nu you can even create your own map of Haarlem's history.



Via: Nederkaart





Digital Harlem is a Google Maps based portal to explore the history of New York City's Harlem neighborhood. The site uses Google Maps to present information about Harlem drawn from legal records, newspapers and other archival and published sources.



The map includes three buttons which allow you to view historical records from 1920, 1925 and 1930. The panel on the left allows you to search for events, people or places, and generate interactive web maps based on the search results.



Multiple layers of results can be displayed on the same map, and each can be toggled on and off. A series of ready-made 'feature' maps can be accessed from the panel on the right.



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Dutch Crime on Google Maps

The Dutch city of Utrecht has its very own crime map.

Stopdecriminaliteit.nl. uses Google Maps to show the latest incidents of crime in the Dutch town and surrounding areas. It is possible to search the map by postcode or by type of crime. For reasons of privacy, however, crimes are never plotted to the exact address on the map.

As well as plotting crimes in Utrecht the site also gives general advice on measures that you can be taken to make your house more secure against burglary.

StopDeCriminaliteit.nl

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Running & Cycling Apps with Google Maps

Afstand Meten

Dutch website Afstand Meten allows joggers and cyclists to create and save routes using Google Maps. The app is available on the desktop and for the Android market and iPhones.

Using Afstand Meten users can create new tracks or search for tracks created by other users. When searching for saved tracks you can refine the search by the 'most viewed', the 'shortest distances' or 'the longest distances'.

Cycle Routes UK

Cycle Routes UK is a cycle routes planner for UK cyclists. Using Cycle Routes UK users can search for cycling routes, add their own routes and comment and rate cycling routes.

Each route is displayed on a Google Map. Alongside the map of the route Cycling Routes UK displays the length, difficulty, the estimated duration and an estimation of calories burned.

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Mapping History with Google Maps

Maps+Motion

Maps+Motion is a great way to visualise the growth of Dutch cities and Manhattan in New York with Google Maps.

Essentially the application allows you to view side-by-side the modern maps of cities with maps of how the cities looked at different times in history. The screenshot above, for example, shows a map of 1450 Amsterdam with a modern map of the city.

The application currently allows you to view the historical growth of Den Haag, Harrlingen, Amsterdam, Leiden, Rotterdam and Zuiderzee in the Netherlands and Manhattan in the USA.

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What to Do with Google Maps

Leukedingenkaart

Thanks to some rather liberal legislation it has never been that hard to find fun things to do in the Netherlands. However if do find yourself at a loss for something to do in the country then Leukedingenkaart has lots of suggestions.

Leukedingenkaart is a real-time searchable Google Map of upcoming events in the Netherlands. Leukedingenkaart scans Twitter for events and displays them on a map. If you are looking for something to do in your area you can just drop a map marker on your location and the latest events will automatically be displayed on the map.

You can define a radius for the maximum mileage you want to travel and you can also filter the events by entering a search term.

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Delft in 3D on Google Maps

TU Delft Cloudviewer

The TU Delft Cloudviewer is the first application to allow 3D exploration of massive point clouds directly from a web browser. The Cloudviewer lets you explore Delft in the Netherlands in 3D, from a number of angles and points of view.

The TU Delft Cloudviewer was developed as a final student project for the Minor 3D Virtual Earth. As part of the project aerial photography and 3D point clouds were pre-processed for use in a real-time 3D rendering engine. Then students designed a system to simulate a virtual camera that creates tens of thousands of oblique 'birds-eye' snapshots for various zoom-levels and viewing angles.

These resulting images are then shown in the Cloudviewer as a layer in Google Maps. Using Google Maps you can explore the 3D point clouds from a number of different perspectives. There are three oblique views available, from 90, 45 and 20 degrees. It is also possible to rotate the point clouds to view the resulting images from north, south, east and west.

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Dutch Random Street View Locator

StraatBlik

Random location and Street View generators seem to be all the rage at the moment. Here's another one.

Straatblik generates a random Street View from Google Maps' imagery in the Netherlands. To move to the next random view just press 'Volgende'.

My first random find was what looks like the world's largest spinning top. What can you find?

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Google Maps Bike Route Reporting System

Meldsysteem Bewegwijzering Fietsroutenetwerken

This Google Maps Mashup wins the Longest Name of the Year Award. Luckily it also qualifies for the award for most useful Google Maps Mashup for Dutch Cyclists.

Meldsysteem Bewegwijzering Fietsroutenetwerken is a Google Maps based system for reporting problems on bicycle routes in the Netherlands. The map uses shape files from the Landelijk Fietsplaform (National Bicycle Platform) to automatically determine where a report should be sent. When a user makes a report the right maintenance authority will get the report. The authority can also use the system to report when/if the reported problem will be fixed.

It is possible for any website or blog to embed the system using an embeddable widget.

The reporting system was created using GeoStart a product of SWIS.

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3D Satellite View with Google Maps

Stereoluchtfoto's van Amersfoort uit 1932

In July 1932 a plane flew over the Dutch city of Amersfoort and took 160 stereoscopic aerial photographs. Wessel Spoelder has pieced together 32 of these photographs and created this Google Maps mashup.

So if you have your 3D glasses hanging around after viewing Street View in 3D put them on and check out Amersfoort from above in 3D. If you know Amersfoort you can even search the map by street name.

This is another great Google Map from ab-c media weblab whose panoramic Street Views of churches in Utrecht is one of the most impressive maps I've seen this year.

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Netherlands Google Maps Round-Up

The following Dutch Google Maps mashups were all submitted to the Google Maps API 5th Year Anniversary Map. Have you added your map yet?


Groenekaartkrommerijn

This Dutch Google Maps mashup can help you find locations that are related to nature and the environment in the Netherlands.

The huge amount of information on this map is organised into a number of categories. Form the map sidebar it is possible to select from 'Sustainable Economy', 'Flora & Fauna', 'Culture', 'Information', Energy & Recycling', 'Infrastructure', 'Land & Water', 'Recreation', 'Mobility' and 'Pollution'. Each of these categories has itself a large number of selectable subcategories.

Each information window contains an embed option to show a small map of the current point of interest on your own website or blog. There is also the option to get more detailed information about the location and to get driving directions.

Super-zoeker.nl

This Google Map shows the location of all supermarkets in the Netherlands. Users can search the map to find their local supermarket. Each supermarket map marker includes a link to the store's website.

Opentot
This Google Map shows the opening hours of shops in the Netherlands. You can search the map by location and by type of shop.

The shops in the Opentot database include supermarkets, DIY, electronic, pharmacies, garden centres, warehouses and real-estate agents.

RouteXL

RouteNX is an amazing route planner for the Netherlands that solves the travelling saleman problem of finding the quickest route when you have multiple stops to make on a journey.

Add your addresses to the map and RouteXL will plan your route, taking in all your stops and in the optimum time.
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Street View Comes Indoors

Kerken Kijken met Street View

This Dutch website is the first example I've seen of someone making use of the new 'linksControl' in v3 of the Google Maps API. The linksControl lets map developers add or take away the arrow links in Street View. Kerken Kijken use the arrow links to create seamless links to their own panoramic images.

Kerken Kijken have a number of 360 degree panoramic images of the interiors of churches in Utrecht. They have created this Google Maps mashup to show the location of the panoramas and to integrate them with Street View.

The overall effect is very impressive. As you can see from the sceenshot below the added arrow links to Kerken Kijken's own panoramas are indistinguishable from the links to the adjacent Street Views.



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EEC Funding on a Google Map

Europa Om De Hoek

Europa Om De Hoek is a Google Map showing the location of European Union funded projects in the Netherlands.

The map displays three categories of marker, City & Surroundings, People & Society and Knowledge and Innovation. If you pan or zoom the map the markers are updated automatically to reflect your current view.

You can also select to view projects by subject, by the amount of money invested, by location and by EU agency.

Also See

Sandbag Emissions Map - explore how the emissions trading system is operating in the European Union.

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The Dutch Election on Google Maps

Verkiezingskaart

The 2010 Dutch general election will be held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. Verkiezingskaart will be displaying all the results as they are announced on Google Maps. The data for the results are coming directly from the company supplying the software to count the votes. Therefore, using Verkiezingskaart, should be one of the fastest ways to get the results of the Dutch election.

Currently the site is displaying the results of the 2006 general election. The map uses coloured polygons to display who holds a majority in each constituency. The Christian Democrats are displayed in green and the Labour Party in red.

If you roll over any of the constituencies on the map you can view a detailed breakdown of the 2006 election results for the area. It is also possible to view the election results for 2002 and 2003 on the map.

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The Bridges of Amsterdam

Vaarkaart Amsterdam

Vaarkaart Amsterdam is a Google Map designed to help you navigate the canals of Amsterdam.

The site includes up-to-date information on locks, bridges and sections of canal that are currently shut for construction work or repairs. The map also shows the location of Amsterdam's marinas, gas stations, slipways and charging stations.

Vaarkaart Amsterdam has usefully mapped all the bridges on the canal network. As well as providing Street Views of all the bridges the map shows the bridge heights and the canal depths.

Finally, Vaarkaart Amsterdam has mapped the routes of a number of tours that you can take on its canal system. The tours include routes to see the best of the Western Isles, the Wallen district, the Plantage area and South Amsterdam.

Vaarkaart Amsterdam was created using the Geostart Google Maps creation tool.

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Just Give Me a Google Map with Everything

Gee-map.com - Google Maps Routeplanner

Gee-map.com is a Dutch Google Map mashup that has a whole host of features.

To start with the map includes the locations of thousands of points of interest around the world. You can access these points of interest by selecting ‘Lokaties NL’ for Dutch points of interest, 'Lokaties Overig' to select points of interest for other countries or 'Special' to browse by category.

Alternatively you can click on the map anywhere in the world to access information about your chosen location. When you click on the map an information window opens with a number of tabs to give you a whole host of information about your selected location.

If you click on the 'Algemeen' tab you will be given the full address of your selected location and links to YouTube videos, Wikipedia articles and Twitter messages around that area.

The 'Weer' tab will reveal the weather for your chosen location. Selecting 'Route' allows you to get driving directions to your chosen location.

The site also includes a fun Google Earth plug-in browser helicopter game. To fly a helicopter around any location in the world just click on the map and select the helicopter tab from the information window. Once you select 'helicopter' a Google Earth plug-in browser map will open of your selected location. You are now free to fly your helicopter at will.

Oh, and did I mention you can also view Street View and Bing Maps Birds Eye View for any location (where available).

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GeoCoded Art on Your Mobile Phone

GeoCoded Art
Geocoded Art is a great website that is busy mapping the world's fine art paintings. When I first reviewed the site back in February I said I'd like to see the site available as a mobile phone application. Geocoded Art have contacted me to tell me that they are now available as a layer in the augmented reality platform Wikitude.

Currently only the 'Paintings of the Netherlands' is available but if you live in the Netherlands then you should definitely check this out. As I don't live in the Netherlands I can't get a screenshot of Geocoded Art in Action on Wikitude. However if you check out the video below and imagine the text on the phone is replaced with a painting you should have a good idea of what the Geocoded Art layer achieves.



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Improving Local Services with Google Maps

Verbeterdebuurt

Verbeterdebuurt, which translates as 'improve the neighbourhood' is a Dutch Google Maps mashup site that hopes to engages citizens in improving their neighbourhoods.

Citizens can use Verbeterdebuurt to post local problems and ideas on a Google Map. The application then sends a report to the relevant council. At the moment 300 of 430 Dutch councils make use of the service. Reported problems and ideas appear on the map as pushpins and lightbulbs. If the council solves the problem or takes up the idea a green flag appears on the map.

Residents can add local properties under a number of categories: waste, water and sewerage, traffic and pavements, green areas and play facilities, street furniture, lighting and others.

An important feature of the application is that it can be embedded on websites with a local focus. An example is the media partnership with the Amsterdam newspaper het Parool.

Also See

• SeeClickFix - US site for citizens to report local problems
• FixMyStreet - UK site, allows citizens to report local problems. All problems are then passed onto local government

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Dutch Historical Maps on Google Maps

Historiekaart

Historiekaart allows you to view historical maps from the Dutch Land Registry overlaid on Google Maps. The collection includes maps from 1829 to 1949.

It is possible to search the map by location to view an historical map of any town in the Netherlands. It is also possible to search the map by date to view the historical map from the collection that most closely matches your chosen year.

The map includes a handy transparency slider so that you can compare the historical map with the modern Google Maps base layer.

Also See

Utrecht van Boven

Google Map mashup of historical map layers and historical photographs in the province of Utrecht.

Amersfoort 750 op de Kaart

The Amersfoort 750 map makes use of the collection of the town's Museum Flehite to illustrate the history of Amersfoort. The map shows the location of buildings in the town of historical interest. It is also possible to view a number of historical maps using the Google Maps interface to observe how the town has developed over the centuries.

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D66 on Google Maps

D66 op de Kaart

The Dutch political party D66 is using Google Maps to help promote their 13 candidates in tomorrow's election in Zaanstad.

The map includes a number of map markers with links to the party's candidates (presumably mapped to where they are standing). The map also highlights some of the debates during the campaign and includes some embedded videos of the candidates in action.

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Netherlands Snow Map

Mobypicture Sneeuw Map

Hot on the heels of yesterday's relaunch of the #UKSnow map comes this Dutch snow map. Just like the #UKSnow map Mobypicture's map plots the latest tweets to mention snow. To add yourself to the map you just need to use the hashtag #sneeuw in your tweets or mobys.

Mobypicture allows users to share their photographs on a Google Map. This means that the Mobypicture's Sneeuw Map contains lots of lovely pictures of all the snow that has fallen in the Netherlands over the last couple of days.

Via: Mapperz

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