Visual Journalism: Using Maps to Report News

Mark Glaser takes a look at the online mapping phenomenon, with a good overview and a look at how people are sharing data and participating in social networks through them. He also looks at how media companies are using them to provide local information to readers:

“The Washington Post’s Local Explorer helps people track crime, home values or school test scores in the area. Along the same line, LATimes.com takes crime data on maps a step further on their strangely fascinating Homicide Report blog. Every known homicide in Los Angeles is posted on the daily blog and, using the information in the report, plotted on a Google Map . That information can be further searched using a list of victims’ names. In this case, one look at the map makes a stronger point than any dry statistics could at showing the city crime problem.”

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