The mapping tool that's trying to make zoning laws accessible to all

Feb 14, 2024
Zoning laws are notoriously arcane, but a new tool from the National Zoning Atlas is turning them into something like a Google map for land use laws. "We want people to understand what zoning says and what it does," said Sara Bronin, the National Zoning Atlas Director.
Construction on a mixed-use apartment building in Los Angeles, CA.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Why aren't railroad crossings on your map app?

Feb 6, 2017
About 200 people are killed at track crossings each year.
Many signs indicate the danger at the site of a deadly 2015 accident in Oxnard, California, where a truck driver turned his vehicle onto railroad tracks.
Jed Kim/Marketplace

Why everyone knows Darth Vader

Feb 17, 2016
A Swiss data scientist maps the "Star Wars" universe.
The relationships in the Star Wars universe, as mapped by Kirell Benzi. 
Kirell Benzi

Maps for autonomous vehicles go beyond directions

Aug 4, 2015
The minutiae and the stakes of mapping technology.

Mapping the city, statistic by statistic

Jul 21, 2014
The map, one of the central elements of navigation, has expanded in capability since the form has been translated to digital. Case in point, the MIT Media Lab’s “You Are Here” project is a collection of maps that visualize a variety of datasets over space. Things from bike accidents to coffee shops, graffiti reports, and […]

Never again ask, 'Where can I find the ... ?' It will find you.

Dec 6, 2013
Apple activated tracking beacons in its stores, the latest retailer to enable micro-location technology.