What is the best way to experience the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts? You could read a history of Harvard University, take a walking tour, or perhaps browse a topical website. But why not look at the Cambridge CityViewer for edification? This unique tool "allows the public to view, query, mark up, and print custom maps using only a web browser." Notedly, the viewer works best with Internet...

This Topic in Depth explores the Web's offering on compasses. The first site is another great site from How Stuff Works.com called How Compasses Work (1). Visitors can read the interesting text and view attractive graphics on the basics of what a compass is and how it is used. The second site, maintained by Learn-Orienteering.com, is specifically about How to Use a Compass (2). Topics covered...

Passionate about cartography and maps in general since his youth, David Rumsey has amassed an amazing collection of maps and map-related ephemera over the past several decades. The Scout Report has profiled this site a few times over the past years, and the online David Rumsey Historical Map Collection continues to grow by leaps and bounds. This new site is a perfect way to keep tabs on the latest...

Developed by John Walker, the Earth and Moon Viewer supplies updated, interactive maps for the World. Visitors can observe the Earth's Cloud cover, topography, Water Vapor, land and sea temperatures, and more. These maps can simulate views of Earth from the Sun, Moon, and satellites in Earth's orbit. Visitors will also find maps presenting the day and night regions at the moment. Anyone looking...

Professor G. William Skinner of the University of Washington was a major theorist of family systems and of spatial social science. Professor Skinner's maps are products of his "lifelong interest in the spatial distribution of social variables." His maps document subjects such as agrarian China, 19th century France, and Japan. Some of the variables he was most interested in included agricultural...

Google Earth has gone underwater with this latest iteration of their popular Earth-roaming application. Along with traveling the usual roads provided by previous versions of Google Earth, visitors can now visit the bottom of the Mariana Trench, learn about ocean observations, and even discover new places to surf and dive. On the Google Earth homepage, visitors can take a guided tour of all these...

Several major companies, including Google, are working on getting elaborate 3D maps online. This latest iteration of Google maps for Android-powered devices allows users to browse select cities in a 3D fashion. Utilizing aerial imagery, the buildings appear in a three-dimensional format, which can aid people navigating their way around an unfamiliar urban environment. Visitors can customize their...

Many online mapping tools continue to be used in creative ways to disseminate information about all types of data, ranging from where to find a new vacuum cleaner to looking for which city has the highest rate of child obesity. One of the best known products is the four-month old mapping feature from Google, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company. While many people have just been utilizing the...

Daniel Goodman of the Montana State University Environmental Statistics Group designed the Graphical Locator Home Web site as an aid for acquiring and refining location data and related measures. Visitors will find several helpful geographical resources including a township-range-section converter, UTM converter, and a degrees-minutes-seconds converter. Although the tools do not necessarily cover...

If you find yourself getting lost on a regular basis or just in need of directions, you may want to download this version of MapQuest 4 Mobile. With this application, users will get voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigational directions to their destination. Users can also check on the current traffic conditions, and MapQuest 4 Mobile also works to modify directions as needed based on such conditions....