We love maps
There is a certain kind of person who gets a lot out of looking at maps and several in the Nestoria team qualify as this 'kind' of person. This isn't a new thing, but at the point where maps and technology converge there are some fantastically interesting things going on – things that are turning regular folks into map geeks. Yes I'm talking Google Street View, Aerial View, OpenStreetMap and more, but once the powers of these tools are harnessed by developers the world starts to look a lot more like a great big greeny-blue oyster of potential...
...that can be combined with other information to create...well almost anything: from a GPS system for thousands of the world's golf courses to a map of where the most twittering is coming from. And other such practical ways to make the world a better place.
The Australian Government has waded into this map mash fest by launching a competition to MashupAustralia. They've basically released a selection of interesting geo data and said “so do what you will with it”. Unfortunately I only found out about it as the competition was closing, but the winners have yet to be decided so you can still vote on your favourite from among the 82 mashups, which include the Suburb Matchmaker: which presents the NSW crime data for where you live now and where you may want to move to, My Solar Saver: which can help you save money on your hot water bills by location, as well as saving the planet of course, and Bike Community Hub: which allows cyclists to share routes, hazards and crashes – like an eye-in-the-sky for bikers. There are loads to wade though...and it's a most enjoyable way to procrastinate.
