Spanning one-ninth of the earth's circumference across three continents, the Roman Empire ruled a quarter of humanity through complex networks of political power, military domination and economic exchange. These extensive connections were sustained by premodern transportation and communication technologies that relied on energy generated by human and animal bodies, winds, and currents. Conventional maps that represent this world as it appears from space signally fail to capture the severe environmental constraints that governed the flows of people, goods and information. Cost, rather than distance, is the principal determinant of connectivity.
For the first time, ORBIS allows us to express Roman communication costs in terms of both time and expense. By simulating movement along the principal routes of the Roman road network, the main navigable rivers, and hundreds of sea routes in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and coastal Atlantic, this interactive model reconstructs the duration and financial cost of travel in antiquity.
posted by Blasdelb
on May 11, 2012 -
57 comments
Cartoo uses Google Maps to show you how far you could get by car, bike, or foot in a set amount of time.
posted by Paragon
on Mar 8, 2012 -
38 comments
Driving through Time features roughly 2700 photographs and 76 interactive maps of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The website allows students, researchers, and digital tourists to uncover hidden stories, hear forgotten voices, and understand the often wrenching choices that the construction and preservation of a scenic parkway in a populated region have necessarily entailed.
[more inside]
posted by netbros
on Jan 22, 2012 -
4 comments
Vacations, diversions and roadtrips:
On The Way suggests attractions and reststops for any route.
The Weekend Map shows events and activities for 27 American cities for the coming weekend.
Nerdy Day Trips (previously) suggests trips for geeks of all kinds, while
Trazzler suggests daytrips for where you live. Don't have a car?
Mapnificent (previously) shows you where you can get to from any point in a given time using public transit.
EveryTrail suggests walks, rambles, strolls and hikes. Google's new
HotelFinder service locates places to stay in a sketched area on a map, with a range of options.
via
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul
on Dec 14, 2011 -
7 comments
Wanderlust:
GOOD Magazine, in collaboration with Graham Roberts, maps the most famous journeys in history - some fiction, some non-fiction. Wanderlust includes trips like Around the World in 80 Days and Journey to the Center of the Earth to the voyages of Marco Polo and Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight. However, it's not just a map with journey lines on it; Wanderlust is a history lesson. Select a trip for a summary and explore highlights of the journey.
posted by nickyskye
on Apr 15, 2011 -
3 comments
Waymarking.com provides tools for you to catalog, mark and visit interesting and useful locations around the world. It's a fun site, packed with photographs, information and maps; a useful
resource and
tool for GeoCaching and
other interests. Among the
various categories included is
Oddball Museums: The
Glore Psychiatric Museum, Musee
Mechanique, The National
Plastics Museum with lots of great pics and links to
other sites, Museum of
Burlesque [nsfw], The Leavenworth
Nutcracker Museum, Orange
Show, wbur Museums of
Dirt,
Plumbing, Antiquated
Technology,
Lizzie Borden and more
oddities.
posted by nickyskye
on May 26, 2007 -
5 comments
Walk It is a website for planning walking journeys. It gives you a map and directions for the best route, and info on distance, walking time, calorie burn and even CO
2 potentially saved by avoiding the car, taxi or bus. London only, at present, alas.
posted by nthdegx
on Nov 7, 2006 -
21 comments
