Who is googling Halloween, Trick or Treat?

Check out a Google Maps + Google Trends mashup I had created couple of weeks ago. It shows top 10 cities where the search is originating from. Since today is Halloween let's take a look at who is searching for Halloween:



and who is searching for Trick or Treat?

Presidential Journey Maps on TV Station Websites

Going through my website Traffic stats I noticed that there were quite a few TV Stations which have embedded my Obama, Mccain, Biden and Palin Journey of Life maps on Google Maps. Here are some of the TV Stations:

• WILX - TV Lansing, MI
• WRDW.COM - Augusta, GA
• NBC - Madison, Wisconsin
• WOWT (NBC) - Omaha, NE
• KXII Sherman,TX and Ardmore, OK
• KONLNKGIN - Lincoln and Grand Island, NE
• KBTX - TV Brian, TX
• Charlottesvillenewsplex - Charlottesville, VA
• WSAW - Wasau, WI
• WLTV - TV Knoxville, TN
• WNDU - South Bend, IN
• WHSV - Harrsonburg, VA
• ABC - Winchester, VA
• WTAP - Parkersburg, WV

Creepiest Places in the World

Since Halloween is around the corner, wanted to mention a Google Maps Mashup I created about a year ago which shows the World's most creepiest places. Topping the list at the time was Bhangarh, India. The data source of this mashup is concierge.com.

Google Maps Street View comes to Spain

Google's extremely popular Google Maps "Street View" feature comes to Spain. Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona and Valencia get the Street View in this go around. (via GoogleMapsMania)

Here's a Street Level View of a Indian Restaurant named "Mayura" at a street corner in Barcelona, Spain.

View Larger Map

Google Earth for IPhone

Stephen Shankland reports in CNET that Google has

dived headlong onto Apple's highly regarded mobile phone with a full-fledge application, a handheld version of its Google Earth geographical software.

I just downloaded it. It is awesome!!. I just took a screen capture of Mt. Everest shown on the right. Some of the coolest feature (quoting from CNET)

When the iPhone is tilted a certain angle out of horizontal, Google Earth reads data from the phone's accelerometer and adjusts your view accordingly, so you can look up into the sky.

Also handy for folks whizzing around foreign cities in buses, taxies, rental cars, or trains, the iPhone app can show your changing location on a map.

I think I have used this app way too much!! Now I have to recharge the IPhone battery :)

Here's a video from Google on how to get started with Google Earth on your IPhone (video found at Google Earth Blog)

Around the world in 80 seconds

Keir Clarke of GoogleMapsMania takes you around the world in 80 seconds via the new Google Earth Browser Plug-in. Click on the city name and you are flown into that city. Check it out it is cool. Here are images of "Gateway of India" - Mumbai and Statue of Liberty, New York.

Gateway of India, Mumbai, India

Statue of Liberty, New York

Most expensive Postal Codes outside London, UK

Majority of my maps are US centric. Here's one which relates to United Kingdom. Couple of weeks back Forbes came out with a post on most expensive postal codes in United Kingdom. Here it is and not in this life time will i be able to ever live in these Postal Codes. (BTW this mashup has wikipedia and panaramio layer also).

Trick or Treating? Map your path with Google Maps and be safe.

Plan to go Trick or Treating on October 31st? then map out your path with Google Maps. Head over to maps.google.com (My Maps) and plot out your route by placing icons to mark important stops along the way and share it with others (by turning the collaborate feature on) so that they can contribute too. Another neat thing you can do is turn on the Street View feature to make sure that there are side walks. (via Google LatLong Blog).

Here's a video which shows you how to create a personalized map at maps.google.com

Reverse Geocoding comes to Google Maps API

Google's Geo Developers Blog is reporting that Reverse Geocoding is now available in Google Maps API. What is reverse Geocoding?

It is a process of converting a latitude/longitude pair into an address.

Check out the sample posted in Geo Developers Blog as to how reverse geocoding works. Clicking anywhere on the map will display the address for that location.

Here's a modified version of the sample with satellite view. I clicked at a location where GM World Headquarters is located.

Create Google Maps easily with Click2Map

Check out Click2Map. Click2Map lets you create Google Maps easily without any knowledge of programming.

Maps created with Click2 Map can then be published as web pages and shared, or as widgets that can be embedded in existing websites.

With Click2Map you can create as many maps and as many markers as you wish. There's no limit.

Check out Click2Map's Product Tour page to see Click2Map in action.

Get Stock Quotes on Google Maps

My latest Google Maps Mashup is Stock quotes from Google Finance shown on Google Maps. This mashup also lists all the related companies along with the current popular searches on Google Finance which includes Price Gainers/Losers. You can type in the ticker symbol in the url or in the mashup page.

For example to get the current stock quote for Google you would type in http://www.mibazaar.com/googlefinance/index.php?ticker=goog. I have also created a form shown in the right column and below where you can type in any ticker symbol and then click "GO" and it will take you to the mashup page with the stock quote being shown on Google Maps at a location where the Corporate Headquarters is located.

Latest Stock Quote on Google Maps
Please enter Stock Symbol

Obama, Mccain, Biden and Palin Journey Maps - Mapplets and Gadgets

A reminder that now you can view Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin Journey Maps as a Google Gadget or a Google Maps Mapplet.

Here are the links: (Note: To stop the autoplay feature click on either the forward or back arrows)

Gadgets for your website:

Barack Obama's Journey

John McCain's Journey

Joe Biden's Journey

Sarah Palin's Journey

Google Mapplets (view it at maps.google.com)

Barack Obama

John McCain

Joe Biden

Sarah Palin

Stock Market Chatter on Twitter

The Stock Market tanked again yesterday. We are back to more or less where we were at the beginning of the week. So what are folks talking about the current state of the Stock Market. Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, Print Media are some of the places where one can find, what is being discussed about the current Stock Market situation.

I have pulled content from Twitter and YouTube which shows the current Stock Market Chatter.

Google Maps Mania: Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty

Google Maps Mania: Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty

CEO's who Lose/Gain Millions in Minutes

Forbes takes a look at CEO's who lose/gain millions in minutes. Forbes is reporting in a article published on (9/26/2008)

The annual median household income in the U.S. is about $50,000. A band of 30 of America's richest bosses lost that much money in less than two minutes last year.

The rich get richer a lot faster than most. That also means they can lose their fortune a lot faster, too.

Here's a Google Maps View of 10 "CEO's who lost/gained millions in minutes".

"Economic Terrorism" trending high - Google Trends

While working on a mashup related to stock market I bumped into the words "Economic Terrorism" on Twitter. Also noticed that "Economic Terrorism" was trending high at Google Trends.

A while ago I had created a mashup (Google Trends + Google Maps) which shows the top 10 cities (historical data) searching for a given keyword. Topping the list for Economic Terrorism (only 6 cities shown) - New Delhi, Singapore, New York, Washington D.C., Sydney, London. Not sure about Singapore but all these countries (India, United States, Great Britain, Australia) have been affected by terrorism.

So is the current Stock Market crash a case of "Economic Terrorism"?. My 2 cents-This cannot be possible because we are talking about trillions of dollars, so who could have the resources to do this kind of thing.

(OK now Economic Terrorism has dropped from #5 to #24 on Google Trends)

Listen to Mike Huckabee:

Air Traffic around the World - Amazing!!

Take a look at this video of air traffic over a 24 hour period around the world.
Very interesting. Frequency of Trans-Atlantic Flights increase as the sun sets over east coast of United States. (via GoogleMapsMania)

Create Maps Mashups with GeoCommons "Maker"

"Maker" launched by FORTIUSONE is a web application that enables non-technical users to create Mashups using their own data or/and GeoCommons open source data. FortiusOne's GeoCommons enables you to leverage massive amounts of valuable data to detect trends, risks and opportunities, resulting in a complete view of your business information.

The tool provides users the ability to view multiple datasets on a single map. You can choose from 'Basemap' from Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Live Maps or Open Street Maps.

Check out these interactive maps at "Maker" on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.

Barack Obama and John McCain's Journey Maps - Mapplet Versions

A while ago I had created Barack Obama and John McCain's journey maps. Now I have created a mapplet version of these maps:

Barack Obama
John McCain

This morning I see the mapplet version of these maps make to maps.google.com. WOW!!
(also the gadget version of these maps are available at maps.google.com/elections)

Google Maps Streetview(er) - Facebook App

Check out this cool "Streetviewer" app for Facebook created by Keir Clarke of Google Maps Mania.

This view shows a cop in Kansas talking to someone from Google Street View Car (or is it?)

Canada's Globe and Mail

Patrick White of Canada's Globe and Mail writes about how

Amateur cartographers are going high-tech to make the most unexpected online maps

I am humbled/honored because Patrick starts off the article with a mention about me and the work I do.

Odds are you've never heard of Virender Ajmani.

But there is a good chance you've used one of his maps.

By day, Mr. Ajmani is a soft-spoken software developer living a quiet life with his wife and two kids in Detroit.

By night, he is one of the world's most prolific and influential map-makers, churning out geographic guides to the American election, state-by-state health insurance stats or the United States' hardest-drinking cities.

"It's an addiction now," he said. "I don't go out much any more."

On that last point "I don't go out much any more" is because my wife met with a serious auto accident in late 2006 which has left her semi disabled. Its been a painful slow recovery. So I am trying to do something useful (and not feel miserable about things) by communicating what's happening around the world via maps and I am enjoying it.

Bailout Chatter on Twitter

With the ongoing Bailout drama in Washington DC, I quickly put together a Mashup (Twitter + Google Maps + YouTube) which shows what the "Main Steet" thinks/talking about this bailout.