World map

[rowyourboat]

Hello, how about a map with the location of member? Just a thought..

[retrofuturist]

Greetings RYB,

Hello, how about a map with the location of member? Just a thought..

If you wish to make one based on the information that people make publicly available via their profiles and postings, you're welcome.

Metta,
Retro.

[rowyourboat]

don't know how to.. I was thinking more on the lines of this site automatically generating a map based on publicly available information- maybe members could opt in. I think it builds up a sense of community.

with metta

Matheesha

[Kim O'Hara]

On a similar theme ... I was wondering whether there was some way of encouraging members to give their location (even just to country level, not city) along with 'number of posts' and 'date joined'. I find it tricky to know, sometimes, how much cultural background I need to explain to make myself clear - generally more for people in non-Western countries, for instance. Also whether the person I'm talking to is likely to be a native, or fluent non-native, speaker of English.
Country information would give everyone a fairly good indication (90% reliable, not 100% of course) of both of those, and therefore help avoid misunderstandings.


Kim

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Kim,

Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to make it a "mandatory field", but I'm all for promoting the idea of people sharing their location in the manner you suggest.

Metta,
Retro.

[Sanghamitta]

I have updated my location.

[Ytrog]

Great idea

I searched for a member map using google maps, but it seems that there are no recent phpbb mods for that.

Maybe you can produce a KML file with all the locations and feed that to google maps.

Here are some resources for that: http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documen ... pport.html

[rowyourboat]

I think it will be quite cool thing to have actually ... we dont have to be all serious do we?

[David N. Snyder]

Here is this thread where people reported where they are from: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1697

And if someone has the time, perhaps they can make a map like the one below and color in the percentages to match our current membership:

[mikenz66]

Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to make it a "mandatory field", but I'm all for promoting the idea of people sharing their location in the manner you suggest.

Yes, it's challenging when someone asks "where can I find...?" without telling us where in the world they live...


Mike

[rowyourboat]

Hi David,

What you have there is a statistical map - what I had in mind was more individual dots/squares denoting where each person comes from - thus will give a sense of 'oh that's him!' rather than, the statistical average. I feel it should generate itself from the data (if that is possible), and fun to look at. Apparently the succes of iPhone apps is that they are 'fun' and not necessarily functional. App developers are openly told that they should make their apps fun, if they are going to succeed!

With metta

Matheesha

[mikenz66]

Someone made such a map the people could register on, and promoted it on E-Sangha some time ago. Anyone remember where it is?


Mike

[Kim O'Hara]

:) don't know how to.. I was thinking more on the lines of this site automatically generating a map based on publicly available information- maybe members could opt in. I think it builds up a sense of community.

with metta
Matheesha

Hi, Matheesha, Ytrog,
Would Clustrmaps (http://www.clustrmaps.com/) or an equivalent do it?
It generates a map like this:

Screen shot Clustrmaps.png (375.3 KiB) Viewed 1545 times

So it doesn't tell anyone where any individual is from, which is what I wanted, but it does give all of us a good idea of where all of us are from, which I think is what you wanted.


Kim

[rowyourboat]

Kim, yup that's it. Thank you! Now how does this fit into the DW site (if it is approved, I guess).

With mett

[mikenz66]

Hi Kim,

So it doesn't tell anyone where any individual is from, which is what I wanted, but it does give all of us a good idea of where all of us are from, which I think is what you wanted.

But the map, along with your "North Queensland" location would show where you are...
Unless we have a bunch of other members up there...


Mike

[Ben]

I seem to think what Matheesha is looking for.
I've seen a rotating globe with dots representing visitors on tumblr sites (I can't find it at the moment and it looks very cool) and I've recently used a map function in facebook to map my 'friends'...

247105_1771883853150_1120878718_31552875_7268152_n.jpg (65.89 KiB) Viewed 1527 times

[Kim O'Hara]

Hi Kim,

So it doesn't tell anyone where any individual is from, which is what I wanted, but it does give all of us a good idea of where all of us are from, which I think is what you wanted.

But the map, along with your "North Queensland" location would show where you are...
Unless we have a bunch of other members up there...


Mike

True (and thanks for considering my privacy, Mike), but if it bothered me, I could simply change my 'location' to 'Queensland'. I don't think it will be an issue for many members - not many are as isolated as I am. There's an easy solution, anyway: DW could put up an 'Announcement' alerting people to the possibility that map+location could identify them more specifically than they wish and suggesting my kind of change.

Kim

[Ben]

not many are as isolated as I am.

During the work week - I'm probably more isolatd. It doesn't bother me that people know.
But it will be interesting how any map application captures the data. If its from member's profiles then location can be easily concealed or manipulated by members. 'Van Diemen's Land' in my profile may flummox an application.
If the data is collected automatically via accessing members IP addresses - then there is another source of bias. Many members, especially in remote locations, access the internet via satellite or G3 or G4 cell-phone radio communications which has a tendency to misrepresent their data by giving the IP address of the base station or ISP headquarters in several different provinces or states. I have seen the same members IP address location change from Brisbane, to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
kind regards

Ben

[Kim O'Hara]

not many are as isolated as I am.

During the work week - I'm probably more isolatd. It doesn't bother me that people know.
But it will be interesting how any map application captures the data. If its from member's profiles then location can be easily concealed or manipulated by members. 'Van Diemen's Land' in my profile may flummox an application.
If the data is collected automatically via accessing members IP addresses - then there is another source of bias. Many members, especially in remote locations, access the internet via satellite or G3 or G4 cell-phone radio communications which has a tendency to misrepresent their data by giving the IP address of the base station or ISP headquarters in several different provinces or states. I have seen the same members IP address location change from Brisbane, to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
kind regards

Ben

Hi, Ben,
I meant 'isolated from other DW members' and in that sense I probably still win (or lose, depending on your POV) because you could drop all of Tassie and (I think) Victoria between here and Brisbane, and still leave plenty of room for crocs and cane-toads
And it doesn't bother me that people here know where I am, or even who I am; I just like to stay reasonably anonymous for the sake of my employer, the Catholic school system, which could be embarrassed if parents jumped up and down about one of their teachers being a heathen.
As for data source, I think it's IP addresses. That will indeed blur the data but collecting it is automatic, painless, free, and free of deliberate misrepresentation ... a fair bit better than nothing, IMO, and the best suggestion I could come up with.


Kim

[Ytrog]

Too bad Frappr is no longer active. We could have used such a service as an (non-automatic) intermediate solution.

...
Hmm, I just noticed that clustermaps seems something like that

Maybe a sticky topic with a link to a map created for this forum where people can register themselves on.

Does this sound like an acceptable compromise?