URBANmedias

From up in the sky, the world that we know seems simplified, yet profound and the way architects and urban planners have shaped the earth comes sharply into view.

Astronauts have described this phenomenon as the "overview effect," citing the psychological impact of seeing the Earth from outer space. The Daily Overview, a new website launched last month, aims to share their sense of awe by posting one satellite photo of the Earth every day.

Founder Benjamin Grant and his team have chosen to focus on the built environment, "shining a light on the areas where our human activity—for better or worse—has shaped the landscape."

Via Lauren Moss

With 150,000 or so old print maps to his name, David Rumsey has earned his reputed place among the world's "finest private collectors." He continues to expand his personal trove as well as the digitized sub-collection he makes open to the public online — some 38,000 strong, and growing.

 

He's created a series of interactive maps that layer old prints onto the Google Earth and Google Maps platforms, and this summer he plans to launch a geo-referencing tool (similar to one recently introduced by the British Library) that lets users get involved in the digital mapping process themselves.

While preparing for this next expansion of his online map empire, Rumsey remains fascinated by "the power of putting these images up and letting them go," he says.

"Maps have a way of speaking to people very straightforward," he says. "You don't have to have a lot of knowledge of map history or history in general. To me they're perfect tools for teaching history to the public."

Via Lauren Moss