Social media helps map US wildfires

 Posted 09.07.12 | By Johnny Levett, Marketing

Check out this impressive interactive map from ESRI who make the software that our GIS guru's use on a daily basis.. (See below)

Built using the ArcGIS API for JavaScript and powered by ArcGIS for Server, (technical bit done) - this map allows the user to view location-based feeds such as recent news, as well as community-derived content from social networks.

Now I know you are thinking that we've seen similar functions to this before.. Well yes we have, but perhaps not within a single map template and almost certainly not presented in such a user friendly fashion.

The combination of easy-to-understand symbology (such as the fire and social network icons) along with a simple toolbar layout, all help to make this interactive map viewer quite impressive indeed.

And it's easy to take for granted the importance of creating something user friendly. The balance between how much you can simplify the product Vs the detail you need to include is a challenging hurdle to overcome.  Not least when keeping in mind all the diverse audiences you are catering to.

With new mapmaker tools available so that people with little or no experience of GIS can now build their very own interactive map, its great to have good examples such as this, paving the way for a user friendly future.

But don't just take my word for it, have a go yourself on the embedded map below... Or view the full screen version on the ESRI website here.