Mapping Applications

Maps are a great way to present your data in a visually appealing format.

Maps can make an engaging addition to any website and many users find it easier to visualise and explore data presented geographically. There are so many possible uses it's hard to know where to begin.

Connecting to databases

If you have geo-coded data (postcodes will do), we can display it on a map. For example, the IEAGHG have asked us to plot their database of Carbon Capture and Storage Projects on a world map (work in progress). We query the database using PHP and connect to the Google Maps API to plot the data points. They update the data, which includes latitude and longitude coordinates, and the map is updated automatically. If you don't know the coordinates of you data points, you can easily find them, using a website like itouchmap

We can:

• Plot points, polylines and areas.
• Colour code, customise or number markers.
• Click on a map marker to display text images, video and link through to web pages with more detail.

The Google Maps API

Google provide an API (Application Programming Interface) which enables us to plot your data on a Google Map and display it on your website. It’s free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes and at the moment it’s Ad-free. We anticipate that Google will start to display Ads on maps at some stage in the future, but we would also expect a commercial, Ad-Free option would be introduced at the same time.

Case studies

• Worldwide Carbon Capture and Storage Projects for the IEAGHG
• Yorkshire and Humber regional training providers for the Learning Skills Council
• Community Learning Centres in Calderdale and Kirklees

Will it work for me?

If you have ideas for plotting data on a map, but you're not sure whether it's possible to achieve what you have in mind - get in touch. We can look at your data and talk through the possibilities.