"Zooming in on Digital Cartography" - O'Reilly's Latest Release

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview
with the authors, contact:
Theresa Pulido (707) 827-7118 or theresa@oreilly.com
Zooming in on Digital Cartography
O'Reilly Releases "Mapping Hacks"

Sebastopol, CA--Humans have been creating maps for centuries to identify
spaces, detail new places, and provide direction. Over time, mapmakers
have become increasingly precise and more sophisticated. Cartography has
evolved from wall paintings on caves and imprints on clay, to online
interactive maps and global positioning systems (GPS.) Today, any PC user
with Internet access and the right tips and tools can find resources online
and create their own customized maps.

In "Mapping Hacks," (Erle, Gibson, and Walsh, O'Reilly, US $29.95)--a richly
detailed book with full color maps, charts, and graphics-the authors
provide a comprehensive guide with a collection of 100 tips, tools and
valuable resources for producing customized digital maps. Digital mapping
is illuminating geographic data like never before, and the appearance of
Open Source mapping projects has spurred growth for the development of
interactive mapping-generating new resources and more ways to use
geospatial data.

At O'Reilly Media's Where 2.0 Conference, June 29-30, in San Francisco,
CA, Michael Frumin will present "Visualizing Democracy," a talk on
"Fundrace," an online mapping service that details political affiliations
and support in any given geographical area. Frumin also contributed hacks
from this presentation to "Mapping Hacks." (For more information on Where
2.0, visit: http://conferences.oreillynet.com/where/.)

"Historically, the enormous complexities of cartography and geospatial
analysis have been kept as the preserve of a talented and select few,"
comments coauthor Schuyler Erle. "Today, by contrast, thanks to recent
advances in personal computing technology, geospatial analysis has escaped
from the ivory tower, and, slowly but surely, cartography is shifting from
being a traditionally read-only medium to most people, and into becoming a
read/write medium. Our hope is that 'Mapping Hacks' will introduce people
to the wonderful possibilities for exploration and storytelling inherent
in digital cartography and geospatial analysis, and inspire them to seek
new and compelling ways to tell their own stories through their very own
maps."

"Mapping Hacks" provides the best sources for geographic information, and
guides the reader to integrate data and create their own maps-including
adding personal data like weblogs and photo galleries. More than a
tutorial, "Mapping Hacks" is also a must have resource guide.

Among the tips and tools included are:

-Compare and Consider Alternate Driving Routes: Access and review
  different routes from online mapping sources and choose the fastest or the
  most scenic
-Zoom in on Your Neighborhood: Zoom in on any location and find out
  exactly where it lies on the map and learn how to create your own animated
  zooming application
-Retrace Your Journey With a Tracklog: Learn how to download a tracklog
  from your GPS receiver, create a visual log, and use tracklogs for future
  travel
-Establish an OpenGuide to Your Home Town: Setup a collaborative
  website with details on directions, personal annotations on favorite
  places and eateries

"It's a combination of tips and tricks that allows users to better use
mapping tools that are already out there, to tweak existing offerings to
do more than might be expected, and perhaps most importantly for the arm
chair reader and 'how does it work fan,' to understand how all this stuff
works," states Adena Shutzberg, "Direction Magazine's" Executive Editor.
"The book is as much about sharing what others have learned as it is about
enabling new hacks. Just reading the 'how to's' will get the creative
juices flowing."

Additional Resources:

A sample hack, "Who Are the Neighbors Voting For?", is available online at:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/excerpt/MapHacks_...

For more information about the book, including table of contents,
index, author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mappinghks/

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596007...

Mapping Hacks
Schuyler Erle, Rich Gibson, and Jo Walsh
ISBN: 0-596-007035, 568 pages, $29.95 US, $41.95 CAN
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
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Sebastopol, CA 95472

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