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Google is giving non-profits its latest satellite maps
Non-profit groups don't often have the luxury of using satellite maps to gauge their progress clearing landmines or saving trees. Getting fresh imagery is typically expensive, if it's an option at all. Google's recent acquisition Skybox wants to fix that with Skybox for Good, a new program that gives non-profits up-to-date satellite photos to help track their work. It's just in beta testing at this point, but a handful of partners are already using the data to see how they're boosting education, protecting the environment and repopulating previously mine-laden areas. The icing on the cake? You can see these maps yourself -- Google and Skybox are publishing all the images on Google Maps under a sharing-friendly Creative Commons license, so you'll know exactly how these noble causes are faring.
Mail carriers are mapping Brazil's favelas before tech companies can
Google and Microsoft may be trying hard to produce online maps for Brazil's favelas, but they've already been beaten by an old-fashioned (if very clever) paper solution. A private mail-delivery service operating in the Rocinha favela, Friendly Mailman, has been methodically charting the slum by using handwritten algorithms that detail every street and building. This system is indecipherable if you aren't one of the mail carriers, but it's reportedly very effective -- staff can both deliver packages to unofficial addresses and adapt to the favela's ever-changing landscape. Apparently, the approach is good enough that Google unsuccessfully requested a photo of Friendly Mailman's map. While that refusal isn't good news for internet users wanting to understand the favelas, the analog code is already helping locals send letters, receive online orders and otherwise communicate with the world at large. [Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images]
The Master Chief Collection getting Halo 2's 'Warlock' map
The final Halo 2 map being remade for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection is Warlock, Microsoft announced today. The multiplayer map was itself a remake of the Wizard map from Halo: Combat Evolved. Warlock, now known as "Warlord," joins five other multiplayer maps from Halo 2 that will return in the The Master Chief Collection: Ascension, Coagulation, Lockout, Sanctuary and Zanzibar. The map will include "additional cover, new skill jumps, and a new weapon in the center," according to Certain Affinity President Max Hoberman, former multiplayer lead designer for the original version of Halo 2. Microsoft first revealed the collection during its E3 2014 press event in June following rumors of the bundle's existence in May. Halo: The Master Chief Collection packs together Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4, and is Xbox One exclusive. It will also include formerly PC-exclusive maps from the first two games. The collection will launch on November 11. [Image: Microsoft]
Camelot Unchained celebrates new website and forums
Camelot Unchained is now boasting a shiny new website and player forums, according to the game's second newsletter. That's only the tip of the wordy newsletter. A brief community question and answer section addresses a few in-game topics, such as boat travel and caravan details. Then it dives right into a treatise on world game design and how the team is still attempting to figure out how large Camelot Unchained's landmass should be and how quickly players will be able to traverse it. "In our case, we are making what is essentially a medieval fantasy war game conquest map, which means things like territory and resource control, logistics, and force projection are extremely important considerations, but things like good quest flow are less so," the team said. The art department also piped up to say that it's working on the Tuatha Dé Danann race, the Arthurian Storm Rider, and pre-alpha testing support.
Terrorists invade Gone Home in new Counter-Strike map
If you felt that critical darling Gone Home featured too little gameplay and not nearly enough gunplay, today's your lucky day: A Counter-Strike fan going by the name of "Nipper" has recreated Gone Home's idyllic suburban location within Valve's beloved first-person shooter. Designed for up to 32 players (but recommended for far fewer), cs_gonehome essentially transplants the tenets of Counter-Strike into the meticulously detailed home that served as the setting for Gone Home. Each new round sees players purchasing weaponry and gear before setting out to hunt down the opposing faction, while hostages are spawned at random each time the game resets itself. Despite this, many commenters on Steam are quick to point out that the design of the Gone Home house doesn't lend itself well to Counter-Strike's gameplay. Complaints range from a lack of lighting in the cellar, to too many areas in which campers can hide and narrow corridors that make Counter-Strike's most overpowered guns even more effective. "There are several ways in which the map doesn't work all the well in [Counter-Strike], but that's hardly the point, I think," writes Steam user Space Hamlet before describing the map as "a fascinating intersection of the design of two games." [Image: Valve]
Killzone: Shadow Fall drops three new multiplayer maps
Sony dished out three free maps for Killzone: Shadow Fall today, the publisher's FPS that launched with the PS4 last November. One of the maps is The Statue, a competitive affair that takes place at a Scolar Visari memorial statue surrounded by scaffolding. A trailer for The Statue map can be found after the break. The other two maps, The ATAC Tower and The Canal, feature cooperative multiplayer action. Players that want to check out those two levels must also own Killzone: Shadow Fall Intercept, either in its add-on expansion form or the standalone version. The DLC launched in June, while the lone Intercept download arrived last month. For an extensive look at Intercept, check out our archived stream of the DLC from July. [Image: SCEA]
Google makes it easier to create and share your own maps
Google has had tools for creating custom maps for a while, but they haven't been very accessible -- especially not if you've wanted to find your friends' creations. It should be easier to track down those hand-made tourist guides and trail markers after today, though. Google has relaunched Maps Engine Lite as the much catchier My Maps, and has expanded the Google Maps Gallery to include everyone's projects, no matter what their focus. So long as you want to make your cartography public in the first place, anyone can find it sitting alongside the Gallery's usual historic and government info. Google will transition every Maps Engine Lite user to My Maps by the end of the year, but you can upgrade early if you just can't wait to share your favorite bike path with the rest of the world.
The Big Picture: digital maps uncover the hidden ruins of Stonehenge
You may already know that Stonehenge is just one part of a larger group of monuments, but digital mapping has made it clear that there's even more to the landscape than meets the eye. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project has used a mix of geophysical surveys and remote sensing technology to uncover not just 17 hidden ruins, but more details about locations that have already been explored to death. They've revealed a previously unknown early version of the Durrington Walls, for instance. Archaeologists will have to do some old-fashioned digging to know the full extent of what they found, but it's already evident that England's ancient architecture changed dramatically over the centuries.
Rocking All Over The World crowdsources rock history
Rocking All Over the World is a free app for iPhone and iPad that asks you to help crowdsource rock history. Everybody has their own experiences, memories, and pictures from events they've attended. This app asks everyone to share those things to create a map showing where so many great things happened. Rocking All Over the World requires iOS 5.1 and up. The app presents you an interactive map upon which are pins where events have occurred in the past. For example, when I checked Boston I discovered that there had been a Led Zeppelin riot there. I then tapped on it to read what happened (I leave this as an exercise for the reader). The map behaves exactly as you'd expect so you can move around the world and see what is out there. You can also search, but only by items already in the database. You can't use the search to find a specific place (for example, Hurd and West Shore Rd in Bethel, NY) so if you want to place a pin at a specific location, it may take a bit of work to get there. Once you have your location, you can drop a pin there, tap on the text that appears above it, and begin entering your information. The process is quite simple though it does require a connection to your Facebook account in order to upload images or submit entries. When I tried to submit an entry for Woodstock, I told it that it could not post to Facebook for me and then my submission went into an endless spinner. Whether my denying posting privileges is the cause I do not know. Alas, Woodstock is still not in the database. And probably rightly so. The intent of this app is for people to share their own experiences. I was an one year old when Woodstock happened, so I'm not the best person to create that entry. I like the concept of the app and may pull it out from time to time as I travel just to see what I might be near. I wonder how many people have enough events to share to make this an app they use a lot versus one they look at once in a blue moon when they remember it exists or stumble upon it in whatever folder it is in. But I hope it does get used. I think it would be a lot of fun to open up Rocking All Over the World and see the shared experiences of lots of people.
Browse astronaut photos taken from the ISS with this handy map
While you're gearing up for the weekend, why not peruse a collection of photos snapped from high above Earth's surface. Thanks to Dave MacLean's interactive map, you can do just that with over 650 images taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The cartographic library plots the location each photograph was captured, color-coded orbiter on Expeditions 40 and 41. On top of that, you're able to see exactly were the ISS is currently in orbit. Pretty neat, if you ask us.
Interactive map shows you where internet censorship is strongest
If you're reading this, you probably enjoy open internet access as a matter of course. However, other countries aren't quite so liberal. How do you know where you're truly free? IVPN's new interactive censorship map might just answer that question for you. The site lets you click on a given country to quickly learn about its tendencies to block free speech online, attack critics and shred anonymity. Not surprisingly, very authoritarian governments like China, Cuba and Iran don't score well -- they tend to insist on real names when you post, and will throw you in prison for challenging the internet status quo. Many other countries, like Russia and Venezuela, walk an awkward line between freedom and trying to crush dissent.
Camelot Unchained's territory control isn't just for uberguilds
Welcome back to our coverage of City State Entertainment's batshit-crazy days for Camelot Unchained! A few weeks ago, we spoke with CSE co-founder Mark Jacobs about each of the topics being revealed this week via livestream; this afternoon, we're examining the RvR map and territory control. Massively: Taxes and maintenance costs are absolutely necessary to keep territory from being owned by absent players, but if they're too burdensome, they can prevent people from wanting to claim or improve land at all, figuring that a richer guild will do it. How does the team plan to solve that problem? CSE's Mark Jacobs: Balance is always a PITA, and this is a perfect example. There is no magic formula to solve this problem, but one thing I will say is that while money may not buy happiness, it may also not buy a piece of land. Just like crafters, players will not be able to simply have money dumped on them by an alt, friend, etc. and then be able to buy whatever land they want. They will have to earn the right to buy it, and that won't happen Launch Day +1 (or 2 or 3).
Watch this: Human transforms its app data into striking activity maps
The folks behind Human know a thing or two about aesthetics, having crafted an activity-tracking app for iOS that's quite lovely. The mobile software keeps tabs on walking, running, biking and vehicular motion with goal of racking up at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. Now, the outfit has taken user data from 30 of the largest cities in the world and constructed visualizations for each locale. Maps for all three of the aforementioned endeavors are included, broken down by activity for further analysis. Don't take our word for it though, watch the cartographic motion take place for yourself after the break.
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake dev accused of stealing artwork [Update]
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake has been accused of copying its map artwork from another artist, Athens, Greece-based Ilias Sounas. The illustrator posted a blog comparing art they completed in 2012 for Karios Games' MonsterUp Adventures to that of SleepNinja's game, which was funded on Kickstarter to the tune of $26,096 in February 2013 and just launched this week on iOS and Android. "My dispute is over the game map, not the mechanics and overall style, which is identical to the world I had created for MonsterUp Adventures," Sounas told Joystiq. The blog compares the two games' monsters and overworlds, each being an island with markedly similar features such as trees, hills and shadows. Sounas began uploading his creations for the game to the Dribbble design community site in April 2012 as well as the Behance portfolio site in July 2012. Sounas said he contacted both SleepNinja and publisher Cartoon Network regarding the allegations and "their replies are pending." Likewise, Cartoon Network replied to an inquiry from Joystiq, noting the publisher is "looking into this" and "will be in touch with a response."
Sit back and watch hacks around the world in real time
Want to feel anxious about your internet connection? The security firm Norse is more than happy to oblige. It's running a live hacking map that shows the attacks against a worldwide honeypot (that is, purposefully vulnerable) network as they happen. While this isn't representative of the full internet, it does act like a microcosm to some degree -- the bulk of attacks originate from China or the US, while Americans almost always serve as the punching bag. You'll even see large-scale (and surprisingly pretty-looking) assaults if you tune in at the right time. Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to double-check on our firewalls... this map isn't exactly reassuring.
Watch lightning strike around the world in real time
There's a mesmerizing new project from an organization called Blitzortung.org that lets you see real-time lightning strikes around the world. It works using a network of volunteers willing to purchase and set up a $275 or so detection kit consisting of an antenna system, amplifier and controller. Once activated, each station can spot the radio signals from a lightning strike and transmit the precise time and location to the Blitzortung.org's servers. From there, the lightning is displayed (complete with bug-zapper sound) on one of five maps including North America and Europe, along with a line between the strike and detecting station. Curiously, a sensor in New York can pick up lightning in Cuba, for instance, since the low frequency RF waves from lightning can travel thousands of miles. Hit the source if you want to participate, or just check the maps to marvel at another striking example of crowd-sourcing in action.
Smart London buses get real-time map and empty seat displays
Struggling to the top deck of a moving bus only to find it full can be a bit embarrassing, but Transport for London is considering new technology to help spare your blushes. As seen by London blogger Ian Mansfield, TfL are trialling screens that display seat availability on the upper deck, as well as ones that show the current position of the bus while displaying the names, locations and expected arrival times of future stops on a real-time map. The seat map apparently doesn't use sensors installed in the chairs, but the existing CCTV cameras to work out capacity. Such features will obviously favour tourists trying to make their way around London, but also those who don't want to be glued to their phone for travel updates. To assist commuters, TfL also ties in travel alerts into its map guide, letting you know if a nearby Tube stop has any issues before you jump off the bus.
Take a trip across Chicago in Watch Dogs video
Some players may want to familiarize themselves with the world ahead of Watch Dogs' release tomorrow and need all the resources they can get. With that in mind, this video guides viewers through the game's map, courtesy of the YouTubers at PlayStation Access. The video does miss a few areas of the map, but generally winds its way across the game's version of Chicago. Watch Dogs will launch tomorrow for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The Ubisoft Montreal-developed open-world game will also arrive on Wii U at some point, which Ubisoft said it is "fully focused on" earlier this month. [Image: Ubisoft]
Killzone: Shadow Fall adds new Canyon multiplayer map
Killzone: Shadow Fall players now have a new battleground to conquer with this week's release of The Canyon, a multiplayer map available from the PlayStation Store as a free download. Located within the smoking crater of Pyrrhus on planet Helghan, The Canyon features wide-open areas that encourage long-distance firefights and narrow passageways for players who prefer close-quarters combat. The Canyon also marks the introduction of gravity wells, which players can use to ascend to new heights quickly. The Canyon is available as part of Shadow Fall's free Hangar / Cruiser map pack. [Image: Sony]
The Elder Scrolls Online's interactive map nabs a Craglorn update
ZeniMax has updated the spiffy official Elder Scrolls Online interactive map with details on Craglorn, the high-end area arriving in the game's first major content patch. If you're clicking around aimlessly, here's a tip: It's the big grey area between blue Bangkorai and green Cyrodiil. Clickable hotspots on the map reveal screenshots, lore excerpts, and even a poem, and hey, it's worth a visit just because it's pretty... even if it is Elder Scrolls' favorite color, brown.
