August 2021 Summaries

Mapbox has recently updated its basemap imagery by incorporating new data for Portugal and large portions of France, following previous updates for Switzerland and the Netherlands. This enhancement includes 25 cm resolution data from SNIG covering all of continental Portugal and 20 cm resolution imagery from IGN for mainland France. These improvements aim to provide accurate and high-quality open-source and commercial data, ensuring users have impressive basemap imagery as their canvas, and are part of Mapbox's ongoing efforts to offer precise mapping tools and location data for developers.

Mapbox Studio has introduced a color blindness simulator to aid in creating maps that are accessible to people with different types of color blindness, which affects approximately 4.5% of the global population. The simulator provides filters to assess how maps appear to individuals with common types of color blindness, such as protanopia and tritanopia, which can cause difficulty in distinguishing between certain colors. By using this tool, map creators can ensure their maps are more inclusive and easier to understand for users with color vision deficiencies. The tool is highlighted in Azavea's Lunchbox webinar, where it is demonstrated alongside TextureMap assets to enhance map accessibility.

Mapbox Dash and what3words have collaborated to introduce a voice integration feature that simplifies navigation by allowing users to input three-word addresses instead of traditional street addresses, which can be cumbersome due to length and complexity. What3words divides the world into 3-meter squares, assigning each a unique three-word combination, facilitating precise and memorable location descriptions already used by companies such as Mercedes, Ford, and Mitsubishi. This system is particularly beneficial in scenarios where traditional addresses are inadequate, such as large buildings, remote areas, or locations without formal addresses. The integration, available in 48 languages, is designed to improve navigation and logistics applications, with the core what3words and Mapbox Search SDK solution accessible on GitHub for developers. The technology enhances user experience by enabling precise communication of locations and is ideal for applications in e-commerce, on-demand logistics, and navigation.

Mapbox's latest upgrade to its Movement Data set significantly enhances geospatial insights, offering 10-100 times more coverage across major markets, improved reliability, and a 13% higher correlation with mobility and commercial activity indicators. This update includes five major enhancements, such as an auto-scaling model to correct urban-rural activity imbalances, full support for over four million administrative boundaries, and a refined activity index re-scaled based on tile size to ensure accurate comparisons across latitudes. Intelligent privacy thresholds have expanded data coverage, particularly in regions like the US, Mexico, the UK, and Canada, while ensuring data privacy. The Movement Data is now accessible in any cloud environment, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Snowflake Data Marketplace, allowing seamless integration for analysis. This enhanced data set demonstrates a strong correlation with real-world indicators like The Economist's Normalcy Index, outperforming other mobility data such as Google's and Apple's, and is available in over 140 countries for diverse applications across industries.

Project '44 is an interactive digital platform that provides insights into the wartime experiences of Allied troops in Europe through a time-series map enhanced with 3D terrain, offering users a more immersive understanding of historical events. By incorporating elements like photographs, war diaries, and aerial imagery, it allows families to trace their relatives' journeys and researchers to map out historical events, including war atrocities and missing soldiers. Since its launch in 2018 by co-founders Drew Hannen and Nathan Kehler, Project '44 has expanded its storytelling capabilities to commemorate personal wartime sacrifices, such as the story of Sgt Samuel Hurwitz, Canada's most decorated Jewish soldier. The platform draws from the research of The Canadian Research and Mapping Association and aims to engage users by providing a new perspective on history, as well as inspiring others to create similar historical map experiences using its low-code solutions.

On August 6, 2021, Mapbox Japan marked World Beer Day by introducing the "Japan Craft Beer Map," an interactive tool designed to highlight craft beer brands and breweries throughout Japan. This map serves as a resource for users to discover and purchase a variety of unique craft beers, facilitating enjoyment of diverse flavors from home. The initiative seeks to bolster local breweries and offers beer enthusiasts a way to explore and appreciate Japan's vibrant craft beer culture, especially in challenging circumstances.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology has developed a map to visualize storage, allocations, and trading information for catchments in the Murray-Darling Basin using Mapbox and ESRI technologies. This project, built with React, employs the react-map-gl component from the vis.gl framework, allowing integration with existing ESRI tilesets. The map is crucial for the Basin, which supports over 2.2 million people, including 40 First Nations communities, and is home to significant wetlands and species. Mapbox's customizability and integration capabilities allowed the Bureau to efficiently design and launch a public portal, aiming to enhance productivity and provide critical information about the region that produces 40% of Australia's agricultural output.

A Grade 7 class in Durham Region, Ontario, successfully halted a planned warehouse development on the protected Duffins Creek wetland by creating a storytelling map to raise public opposition. Under the guidance of teacher Alison Ellwood and GIS Ambassador Connor Houston, the students researched the ecological importance of wetlands, conducted interviews, and used tools like Mapbox and QGIS to visually map their findings. Their efforts, which included writing letters and starting a petition, garnered enough attention to persuade the Ontario government to withdraw the special order allowing the development, leading Amazon and the developer to abandon their plans. The project emphasized the power of geospatial technology in education and encouraged continued exploration of local environmental issues, fostering a deeper connection between the students and their community.