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Map of the Week: Upande’s Virtual Kenya
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Map of the Week: Upande’s
Virtual Kenya
[Editors Note: Earlier this month we lauched
morethanamap.com
to showcase the unique features of the Google Maps API. As part of this project, each week we’ll be featuring one story from our global community of developers who are using the Google Maps API to start businesses, help improve their communities or save the environment.]
This week we move on from Bangkok to Nairobi where we met with the
Upande Ltd
team at their office in the home of Mark de Blois. Upande is a development shop in Nairobi, Kenya that provides web mapping and GIS solutions expertise to a diverse range of enterprise, NGO, and public sector clients. Although Upande is relatively small (about 10 employees at the time of our visit), the tightly knit team is creating a big impact around the world with the Google Maps and Google Earth powered
Virtual Kenya
project.
Virtual Kenya is an online interactive platform designed to allow more Kenyans to use and interact with spatial data in both educational and professional pursuits. Users can view, download, publish, share, and comment on various maps covering topics such as water sanitation, wildlife, or politics. According to Upande the goal of the Virtual Kenya project is to, “promote increased data sharing and spatial analysis for better decision-making, development planning and education in Kenya, while at the same time demonstrating the potential and use of web-based spatial planning tools."
A big part of Virtual Kenya is making the data interactive and visually exciting, while also easy to access. To do this the Upande team uses the
Google Earth API
which allows them to use 3D map visualization directly on the site. In the screenshot above is an interactive tour that describes Kenya's tourism sector guided by Google Earth. This tour focuses on major attractions, national parks, environmental challenges, and areas that could be used to improve the industry. The full list of Virtual Kenya’s tours cover a variety subjects, such as
deforestation
,
population issues
, and
threats to wildlife
. Beyond the tours, there’s also a list of more
Google Maps based mashups
that help users learn more about a variety of subjects such as the Turkana Oil Fields, water quality, and aspiring politicians.
In the video below, Upande geo engineer Bernadette Ndege gives a live demonstration of how Virtual Kenya works.
Many thanks to the Upande team for inviting us into their office and sharing with us their latest projects. To learn more about Upande and the things that you can do with the Google Maps API, visit
morethanamap.com
. You can also see more pictures from our visit to Upande
on Google+
. Tune in next week to read about our visit with
Ubilabs
in Hamburg, Germany.
Posted by
Carlos Cuesta
, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager
Map of the Week: The Global Transition to a New Economy
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Map of the Week:
The Global Transition to a New Economy
Why we like it:
This map is a great way to discover NGO projects from all over the world. The info-graphic style of the site is a well designed way to catalog a large amount of information, that’s easy to access and understand. Additionally, by using
Styled Maps
to simplify the color scheme of the map, the color coded markers really pop out.
In the run-up to this year’s
United Nations’ Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 (Rio+20)
, the New Economics Institute launched the
Global Transition to a New Economy
. As described by the organization, “The Global Transition to a New Economy maps innovative projects that challenge business as usual ... Together, these projects create a world that prioritizes human well being, within environmental limits.”
Promoting activism on a global scale is a very complex task. This map aims to make things easier by cataloging the efforts of many different NGOs on and around the map.
The map employs several design elements to create a very focused message. For example, the color of the map fits in well with the branding of the site and there’s even the ability to turn political labels on or off, which is a creative way of using styled maps to show that the problems we face in future are not exclusive to any boundary.
It’s great to see another example of the Google Maps API being used to promote good causes in the world. We hope visitors will use this map to discover great organizations around the world and help solve the environmental and economic problems we face.
Posted by
Carlos Cuesta
, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager
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