Molt Be Blog

Thursday, April 12, 2007

OK. So maybe I do have some time on my hands.

Google released this new My Maps feature on Google Maps sometime last week that let's you add your own lines, shapes, pointers and notes to maps. I'm working on two different ones and thought I'd share what I have so far. The first is a Ward Map for DC. I never know what's in what ward, so this is a great way to do a map search and then have my map appear over it so that I know what's where. I created this map by eyeballing the fantastic pdf located here. There's plenty more that could be added within the wards to separate out the various ANC/SMD boundaries, but enough is enough... for now.

DC Wards Google Map
DC Wards Google Map

The second and, I believe, more useful of the two is an overlay of all the different DC taxi cab zones. Now I'll now when my ride is 1 zone or two without having to google "Taxi Cab Zones DC" and downloading a stupid PDF that only lists 1 street name for each border. That PDF was impossible to read, but it's also what I used to try to create this, which is why it still says "in progress". Enjoy!

DC Taxi Zones Google Map
DC Taxi Zone Google Map

While it probably seems really tedious to sit there flipping back and forth between a pdf and google maps and drawing shapes one click at a time, I think I actually find it kind of soothing. Who knows, maybe I will finish off those ANC/SMD boundaries.

2 comments:

An Idiot Savant said...

OK, the taxicab zone map is AWESOME. And, I may add, I owe a (silent) apology to a cabdriver I (silently) cursed the other night when I was charged 3 zones for what I thought was a 2-zone trip. Turns out I was wrong--the northern point of the useless Zone 3A felled me.

On a more important note: THREE zones from Woodley Park to Tenleytown while it's only two from 18th and U Sts. NW to RNR Hotel? Seriously!?!?

bad apologies said...

Last comment: This is way cool. So that's why cabs to my work are so cheap--and will be so DAMN expensive at my new office!

Also, why we got share our Ward with Georgetown? No wonder my e-mails are ignored. They bitch too much over there. (I know, you get your e-mails answered. ARG!)