Deals Too Good to Map…

Have you spent countless hours looking for an affordable deal on a quick getaway?  With many people now looking to save money rather than spend money on a vacation, many airlines, hotels, and resorts are slashing prices in order to encourage people to continue to travel and explore during these times of economic uncertainty.  The interactive map, Flee Market, is an online tool where fellow travelers can advertise and map various discount, deals, and locations for the family still looking to go on a vacation this summer.  

To read more about this site, click here.  Or to view the map or find your own vacation deal, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping Towns as We Know Them…

Residents of Cowichan County, Canada got together to last month to map what they perceived to be important assets of their community.  Such things as historic landmarks, cycling trails, and even environmental sites that are being neglected were mapped.  The event allowed the citizens of Cowichan County to learn more about their environment and where they live, where their food comes from, and where their children and their children’s children may grow up.  The event turned into more of a social gathering rather than a social experiment which helped increase the number of residents that came to the event.  

For more information about the Cowichan County effort, click here…

Beware: Mapping is Contagious!

Crime mapping is sweeping the nation with so many communities looking towards mapping crimes to keep the public informed and the city safe.  Since the inception of CrimeView Community, as many as 40 states and hundreds of communities have taken the initiative to map the crime that occurs in their towns.  The ability to give residents information about the safety of their town allows them to make more conscious and safer decisions and also permits the police force to recognize crime-prone areas and to handle these areas accordingly.

To read more about the spread of crime mapping, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag; Rutgers University Planning Intern; VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping the History of a Town…

Folks in a village  in the province of the Northwest Territories in Canada have assembled to map the rich history and heritage on their map.  Three young men are planning to map such things as important fishing sites, hunting sites, and areas of spiritual importance.  The three have also begun interviewing all the residents of the village to collect data for the map and have also started a family tree to complement the historical value of the map they hope to create.  The map and display will go up in a nearby community center so that the residents can view the progress and the history of their village and so that other villages can see what community mapping can do to bring a community closer together.

To read more about this project, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag; Rutgers University Planning Intern; VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping and the Disabled…

The Stewartry Coalition of Disabled People, located in England, is putting out the word that they are trying to get disabled people together to map areas of the town that are proving to be obstacles for disabled people to get around.  They are asking for residents to identify certain areas or problems in the city so that they can submit them to the road department and other departments to have them rectified so that disabled persons can move around more easily.  They are also looking at mapping businesses that have both easy and difficult access ways so that these very residents can plan their errands.

To read more about this project, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.