One of the wonders of today's Internet would have to be Google Earth. Most of you will also be aware of Google Maps and some may even have used it in the classroom. The tools I have listed here are built on this technology and designed to make it simpler to create your own maps. It is not just geography teachers who should be interested in mapping as it might well provide a fresh perspective on other subjects too. Some of the other tools reviewed in this site contain an automatic mapping function which is based upon tagging pictures or information. I would therefore recommend you also have a look at the Timeline tool Dipity and the picture tools Pikeo and Trippermap.

1. Community Walk - E-mail verification is required for unrestricted access. There are tutorials available although the creators suggest the quickest way to learn the tool is simply to use it. Maps can be shared to invited guests, public or private. Adding a Marker is very striaghtforward and once created you can add a photo. You can also create a Path which is an animated walk through all your markers. Maps can be shared through e-mail or published for viewing. Click Here to see an example. While it may look quite complicated I found it easy to use and it did exactly what it claimed it would do.



2. Zeemaps - This tool does not require registration to begin using although it is an option. It is a slightly more complex tool therefore as well as photos you can add video and a description. In addition you can e-mail a particular Pinpoint on your map for others to edit. I didn't see anyway to add a hyperlink to your Points which would seem a fairly basic function to omit. You can draw lines between two places and it will automatically calculate the distance. There is an option to print your entire map for a small fee or you can print individual markers and their images for free. Alternatively the maps can be published for others to view. There is an option to allow others to edit published maps which would be very useful for a group project. You can try this out by clicking on the add button on the map below.



3. Quik Maps - This tool does not require your e-mail to be validated before use. It basically allows you to doodle on a map. You can draw lines and add a range of markers and icons. You can also add text to the map. If you click on a marker you can add a brief description but there is no opportunity to add photos or videos. You can import maps from other tools which may be useful for some. You can also import other Quik Maps giving the potential to collaborate and add comments. You have a choice of either the earth, moon, mars or sky as your map so this may widen the appeal of this tool to allow astronomy to be taught. The name of this tool promised a quick map and that is excatly what you get. The finished map can be viewed by visiting the http address. It can also be exported in various map forms. The embedded map below does not show all the detail of the map I produced and I suspect this is a bug that will be removed as it passes through Beta testing. Nevertheless, well worth a look.



4. Nile Project - You must verify your e-mail to use this tool. It was a bit slow and didn't work as smoothly as I had hoped. In essence you browse the country you are going to visit adding places to go, things to see and places to eat to your itinerary. The software then creates a personalised travel brochure containing your itinerary which can be printed on PDF. In terms of educational use the greatest limitation is that you can only create brochures for the locations already listed on the website. It would have been more useful if you could have created a brochure for any destination. However, the site may well grow and new destinations might be added. Good idea but not sure about the execution.

5. Mapme - You must verify your e-mail before beginning. There were a few adult maps listed in the wodcloud in the homepage which is a pity as this Mapping tool looks very useful. One way around this problem would be to create a private rather than public map. Students do not need to go near the homepage as they will only ever be visiting your map. There is quite a good range of permissions on this tool including a moderator option which means nothing will get posted without your say so. You can add location information, a URL and an image. I couldn't get the image loader to work on the day I tried it and it did seem a bit buggy. That said, others have clearly been able to produce some excellent maps so may be worth having a look.

6. Mapness - This is intended to create a log of your travels. There are two parts of the screen, a map and the corresponding detail which takes the form of text, video and images. It works well and is easy to use. Click Here for an Example. Any collaboration would have to be through the sharing of a common password and user name. Although other users maps can be viewed they can only be accessed through a search function and are not easily found.



7. Triporama - This tool allows you to create a travel based website for group use. It begins with gathering research on the destination. You can conduct polls about when you should go etc. Something a bit different but some of you may find a use for it.


8. Click2Map - Allows video and photos to be added to the markers. There is a free 30 day trial after which you must pay a subscription. I think the free options available from other tools are as good if not better.

9. Everytrail - This is one for the serious traveller, you can upload your markers directly from a GPS source. You do not need to validate your e-mail account before beginning. Once you have created your markers you then add photos seperately which is perhaps not as simple as adding them at the same time as the marker. The tool was a little slow when I used it although the finished product was quite pleasing.



10. Mapwing - technically not a map maker but this could be a very useful tool for teachers. This tool allows you to make a virtual tour using photos. It could be used in a number of ways. You could make an actual tour of a building such as a church. Perhaps a history teacher could make a virtual tour of a city or battlefield. Or geography teachers could use this to produce a tour of a town. Or how about creating your own virtual museum with the exhibits chosen by the students. For each point on the map you should have 4 pictures showing the view North, South, East and West. Comments and explanations can also be added to the pictures. However, I see no reason why you couldn't choose 4 pictures representing one part of a topic, for example, 4 pictures representing the childhood of Martin Luther King and design a virtual tour around the topic. For example, in the Mapwing below you can click the Map to go to a particular view of the Rockefellar building in New York. When you hover your mouse over the picture you can click on the left and right arrows to see other views.




11. Place Spotting - This one is a bit of fun. You create a close up of an area on a map, for example, The Pyramids at Giza. You then add some clues and your geographical quiz is made. The user sees the close up and clues and has to zoom into a google map until they fins the exact spot. Many uses, may be an interesting game to play on an interactive whiteboard.

13. ManyEyes - This is a data tool which allows the user to make maps out of their data. Maps can be made of existing data or from new data uploaded. This is an example.


14. Scribble Maps SImple tool that works very well. You can scribble, add shapes and text to a map. The map can then be printed, emailed or saved and exported. The one thing it can't do is add images which might have been useful.

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15. UMapper - This tool allows you to create embeddable flash maps which can be interactive or converted into a game. Looks like it could be a very useful tool with a variety of uses such for anyone using geographical locations in their teaching. Have a go by playing the game below.