Interactive maps

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Web Media Examples: Top 10 | Timelines | interactive maps | Games | Learning Interactives | Topical Interactives | Podcast Audio | Animated Films | Simple Animations | Self Test | Virtual Tours | Map Mashups

Pre-Historical & Ancients Eras

Flash timeline of Big Bang (http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/flash/bang.htm) A tour back through time to the beginning of time...and a unique way to do it!

Animation of Gondwana breakup (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/eden/media/stt.html) PBS/NOVA A cool animation of the supercontinent. It even projects 50 million years into the future, when India is swallowed by Asia, and Austrailia becomes a suburb of Tokyo.

Eternal Egypt - Map  (http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.map&language_id=1) Wow. I couldn't begin to describe the wealth of features in this site. From the Flash intro screen to the timelines to the maps and artifacts; webcams, animations, 360 views; just amazing.

Egypt's Golden Empire (http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/index.html) PBS/Empires Enter the interactive Egyptian Experience (http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/flash/egyptian_welcome.html), choose the maps (http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/flash/imap.html), then explore the temple of Karnak.

Step Pyramid Complex of Djoser (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/arth/zoser/zoser.html) U. Pennsylvania Click on the map of the complex to see pictures or diagrams.

Before Clovis (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/stoneage/clovis.html) Small interactive shows evidence of very early americans. Also, cool to see the Bonneville Salt Flats as sea, and the Humbolt River flowing into the Snake.

Cannibals of the Canyon (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/flash/flash.html). PBS/Secrets of the Dead Map of the Anasazi lands in the Southwest.

Journey of Mankind: The Peopling of the World (http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/) From the Bradshaw Foundation (http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/), a very cool site to visit.


World History

Historic Atlas Resource - Europe (http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eatlas/europe/maps.html) Oregon State

Celts and Romans (http://www.resourcesforhistory.com/map.htm) Resources for History resourcesforhistory.com Destination Cuba (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/castro/maps/index.html) PBS/American Experience
Mapping the Holocaust (http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/maps/) United States Holcaust Museum Narrated, dynamic maps include:

  • Prewar Jewish centers
  • Warsaw Ghetto
  • WWII Overview
  • Auschwitz
  • Lodz
  • Voyage of the St. Louis

Spread of the Mongol Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_kahn#Mongol_Empire) Wikipedia

Western Civ

Maps of Western Civilization (http://www.wadsworth.com/history_d/templates/student_resources/0534600069_spielvogel/InteractiveMaps/maps_index.html) More than 50 interactive maps!

US History Timeline Map (http://www.boltmap.com/) This animated map moves through the history of the US territory.

Explore Jamestown (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_jamestown/index.html) PBS/Secrets of the Dead From the Secrets of the Dead (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets2/case3.html)

A Map of Virginia, John Smith 1612 (http://www.mariner.org/chesapeakebay/colonial/col009.html) Narration would go great with this navigation style.

'Bonnie Prince Charlie' Animation (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/monarchs_leaders/launch_ani_bonnie_prince_c.shtml) BBC History Animated map and some sound of the life and travels of Charles Edward Stuart.

Historic Atlas Resource - Europe (http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eatlas/europe/maps.html) About 14 of these 33 maps are interactive or animated. Simple, but you can learn from them. Historical Atlas project homepage (http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eatlas/), along with 15 interactive maps for American history (http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eatlas/america/maps.html).

Map of Historic Philadelphia in the Late 18th Century (http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/map/). TeachingAmericanHistory.org


Follow the Trail to Freedom in the 1850's (http://historynow.org/09_2005/interactive.html) HistoryNow A game with a map. This one had me intrigued immediately. What would happen to my character?

On the Eve of War (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/nation/map_agind.html) PBS American Experience 1850's US.

Reconstruction - The Second Civil War: 1870 Map (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/states/index.html) PBS American Experience

John Brown's Holy War | Map (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/maps/map.html) PBS American Experience Follow John Brown's life against slavery.

The Great War . Maps & Battles . Europe in 1914 (http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/index.html) PBS Dynamic maps trace the major operations.

WW I - The Western Front, 1914 - 1918 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone/launch_ani_western_front.shtml) BBC Great overview of the war. (And a great candidate for sound!)

Emerging Middle East  (http://www.pbs.org/lawrenceofarabia/features/flash_maps.html)PBS Dynamic maps show the WWI period.

Inside Tunnel "Harry"  (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/greatescape/harry.html) PBS/NOVA You have seen The Great Escape, haven't you?! NOVA followed a team of archeologists as they searched the site of Stalag Luft III for the original tunnel. Use this interactive to explore the camp and tunnel Harry.

Eleanor's Tour of the South Pacific (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/maps/tour.html) PBS | American Experience In 1943--19 months into WWII--Eleanor spent five weeks visiting the troops in the South Pacific. This interactive map follows her trip.

Mystery! A Thief of Time . A Hillerman Trivia Challenge (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/american/thief/preview.html?d=pbslnk) PBS | American Mystery! This little game ties a quiz with a drive through the Southwest.

The Blues Road Trip (http://www.pbs.org/theblues/roadtrip.html) PBSTrace the Blues with this interactive map from PBS, from their origins in the Mississippi Delta to Chicago, to the Great Britain Blues Festival. With video clips.

Conflict Map (http://www.nobel.se/peace/educational/conflictmap/index.html) Nobel e-museum A timeline/dynamic map of wars & conflicts in the 20th century. Caveat emptor on the content.

Layers of Lower Manhattan (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/newyork/maps/maps_pop.html) PBS | American Experience This 5-view map looks at lower Manhattan as it grows (literally!) from the original island Henry Hudson found, through the Revolution, Industrial expansion, and today.

Major Quakes of the 20th Century (http://www.cnn.com/interactive/nature/0009/earthquake.timeline/frameset.exclude.html) CNN With static plates map.

Fidel Castro | Maps  (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/castro/maps/index.html) PBS | American Experience

The Oil Pipleine (http://msnbc.com/modules/iraqoil/pipeline/) MSNBC Love the world map rollover page. I can see this reused throughout histories.

Some excellent maps from Learner.org (http://www.learner.org):

  • Slave and Free Soil (http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog10/feature/index.html) Animated map reminds us that all 13 colonies once had slavery. (Wish: click on states to learn more).
  • Mapping Conquest (http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog16/feature/index.html) 8 maps in one. Nice overlay/comparison feature. Their method of turning on and off map features should be noted.
  • Transportation Revolution (http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog07/feature/index.html) Roads, canals, railroads to 1830-1870.
  • The New West (http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog25/feature/index.html) Less history than commentary, this map still has some interesting things--like the map of public lands.


Explore Monticello (http://explorer.monticello.org/) Thomas Jefferson Foundation Fantastic detail and models of the grounds at Jefferson's classic mansion.
Historic Atlas Resource - North America (http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/america/maps.html) Oregon State

Key Races 2006 (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/elections/keyraces/map/) This one isn't history as I write; it is a nice clean map.

Mapping Tools and Resources

Geography Network (http://www.geographynetwork.com/)
We were chatting at the ESRI booth today (I was again trying to mop the drule from my chin over more technology). Mike the rep relayed that data streaming to Flash would be in the 9.0 release of ArcGIS engine (http://www.esri.com/products.html).

Meanwhile look at the vast collection of GIS data available at the Geography Network site. A great place to start: maps.nps.gov

Custom Mapping System (http://www.custommapper.com/index.jsp)
Lets you creat your own maps! Produces maps in jpg, or PNG, and uses SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). SVG, by the way, is rapidly getting standardized. Mozilla Firefox 0.8 comes with SVG; you must turn it on, though.


Lost links

Journey of Man (http://www.nationalgeographic.ca/features/journeyofman/) National Geographic The show traced DNA from tribes in Africa to Australia and India, up through Eurasia, Siberia, and down to the Navajo. Check "The Journey" in the above flash app.

Journey Throught the Valley of Kings (http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/nefertiti/tomb/tomb.html) DiscoveryChannel Lets you visit 8 Pharoahs' tombs, and see their positions in the Valley of the Kings.

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