October 2022 Summaries

Felt recently concluded its inaugural Halloween mapping challenge, celebrating innovative uses of cartographic elements created with their platform. Winners were awarded a limited-edition Felt bucket hat and stickers, evaluated by web cartographer Mamata Akella and Vanessa Knoppke-Wetzel, a director at the North American Cartographic Information Society. Categories included Most Creative Use of Felt Element, awarded to Angelica Rodriguez-Arriaga for her pumpkin genetics map, and Most Intriguing Dataset, won by David Tingle with a map of popular candies by state. Erdag Kucukdemirci won Best Overall Design for the Fictional San Mateo Halloween Crawl map, and Alberto Romeu Carrasco's U.S. Cemeteries map received recognition for Best Collaborative Use Case. The Spookiest Subject Matter was awarded to Hayley Moir for the Spooky Edinburgh map. Felt encourages users to share their maps in their new Slack group, where the best entries will be featured in November.

Felt, a company with a passion for Halloween, announced the winners of its inaugural Halloween mapping challenge, rewarding participants with limited-edition bucket hats and stickers. The panel of judges, including experienced cartographers Mamata Akella and Vanessa Knoppke-Wetzel, evaluated entries based on creativity and design, with winners highlighted for their innovative use of Felt's mapping elements. Notable entries included Angelica Rodriguez-Arriaga's map "Crowning the PumKING," which creatively used storytelling and map layers, and David Tingle's "Most Popular Candies by State," which effectively brought geographic data to life. Erdag Kucukdemirci was recognized for the best overall design with a fictional Halloween crawl map, while Alberto Romeu Carrasco and Hayley Moir were acknowledged for collaborative use and spookiest subject matter, respectively. Felt also introduced a Slack group for map enthusiasts to share creations, participate in community events, and potentially earn recognition and prizes.

Felt introduced "Upload Anything," a feature designed to simplify map-making by allowing users to drag and drop files into the browser, enabling rapid visualization of complex geospatial datasets on responsive maps. The initial version employed a combination of Elixir, Python, and various other tools, but faced challenges such as slow processing times and limited data format support. To overcome these issues, Felt transitioned to a comprehensive AWS architecture, utilizing services like Step Functions, Lambda, and Elastic Container Service, which facilitated faster processing, real-time updates, and improved user experience. The new system supports a wider range of geospatial datasets, enhances internal development flexibility, and provides a smoother user experience by serving tilesets through a CDN for global low-latency access. Additionally, Felt is expanding its team, seeking Elixir Engineers, a Growth Marketer, and an Engineering Manager to join their innovative efforts.

Felt's development of the "Upload Anything" feature aims to revolutionize map-making by allowing users to easily drag and drop geospatial datasets into their browser for quick visualization. Initially, the platform used a combination of technologies such as FastAPI, Celery, and Python tools for processing datasets, but faced challenges with speed, concurrency, and limited data format support. To overcome these, Felt transitioned to a full AWS architecture, employing AWS Lambda, Step Functions, and S3, which significantly enhanced their pipeline's efficiency and flexibility. This new setup supports a wide range of geospatial data, facilitates easy internal development and experimentation, and ensures fast production shipping. Additionally, by adopting the pmtiles format, Felt improved global performance by serving vector tiles through a CDN, providing a seamless user experience without disrupting internal workflows. This comprehensive approach not only enhances the map-making process but also allows for the handling of large datasets, ultimately enabling fast and frequent feature development and deployment.

With over a decade of experience in creating digital and physical maps, the individual described in the text embarked on a career in cartography after discovering the field during a geography course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they also pursued a unique blend of studies, including environmental and Spanish linguistics. Their interest in cartography was solidified during their Master's program, where a focus on historical map styles, including woodblock and lithograph techniques, provided valuable insights applicable to various roles, such as with USAID and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The individual is passionate about accessible education, community advocacy, and understanding different cultures through mapping, which has influenced their work, including the creation of a Burtonesque map style inspired by Tim Burton's aesthetic. Their work emphasizes the importance of viewing cartography through a more diverse lens, challenging the traditionally Eurocentric perspective of the discipline by appreciating global mapping styles and histories.

The narrator's journey into cartography began unexpectedly during their Geography major when they took a required cartography course, which they discovered through an initial interest in environmental conservation. They pursued a unique academic path at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, integrating their Chilean heritage and Spanish linguistics major with geographic studies, eventually joining the Cartography & GIS program. Their thesis on historical map styles, focusing on pre-1900s techniques like woodblock, copper plate, and lithograph, significantly influenced their career, enabling them to work effectively in various roles, including at USAID and Mapbox, and to establish a brand at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The narrator emphasizes the importance of understanding diverse cultural perspectives in mapping, contrasting Eurocentric views with examples like Asian scroll maps. They also express a fondness for their "Burtonesque" map style, created with a unique Halloween-themed aesthetic inspired by Tim Burton's recognizable visual style.

Felt, a platform for creating and sharing maps, has been utilized by various individuals for diverse projects, each highlighting unique applications of mapping technology. Gabe, a software engineer, created a map illustrating the economic cost of commuting in US metro areas, while Texan designer Evan developed an Environmental Justice map of Houston landfills, inspired by Dr. Robert Bullard's work. Toronto-based transportation planner Adam used Felt to streamline the presentation of a regional travel survey's zone system, and GIS analyst Chris mapped the historical influence of Scottish families. Other creative uses include David's 'active reading' map tracing Patrick Leigh Fermor's European walk, Croix's morel hunting guide in the Pacific Northwest, and Alex's Minecraft-inspired street tracing in NYC. Additionally, Phoemela journaled her Baguio trip, David visualized the Airbus A320 supply chain, and Nithursan planned a bike ride for a mural unveiling. Felt encourages map creators to share their work in a dedicated Slack group, with a plan to feature standout maps.

Various individuals have creatively utilized the Felt Style Language to construct maps for diverse purposes, showcasing the platform's flexibility and utility. Gabe developed a map illustrating the economic impact of commuting in U.S. metro areas, while Evan crafted an Environmental Justice map of historical landfills in Houston. Adam, a transportation planner, used Felt to modernize a regional travel survey map, replacing outdated PDF versions. Chris, a GIS analyst, mapped the historical influence of Scottish families, and Croix, a creative director, designed a map to help locate morels in the Pacific Northwest. Other unique applications include Phoemela's travel journal map of Baguio, David’s visualization of the Airbus A320 supply chain, and Alex's Minecraft-inspired street tracing in NYC. Additionally, Nithursan used Felt to plan a bike route for a mural unveiling event in Toronto. The platform encourages users to share their creations in a Slack group, with the best maps being featured at the end of October.