Latest news with #mapping
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
There Might Not Be a Map for That: Budget Cuts Threaten Geological Surveys
Every spring for the last 31 years, Reed Lewis has traversed Idaho to do what technology still cannot: examine rocks, collect samples and make a map that is critical for mining, oil and gas and other industries. He knows getting an early start is essential, as summer smoke and winter snows limit the days that are useful for gathering data. Dr. Lewis, a geologist for the state of Idaho, is normally in the field by June at the latest. But halfway through the month, he's stuck at his desk. That's because amid uncertainty over the federal budget, funds from Washington that pay for geological mapping have not arrived. 'It's starting to be worrisome,' Dr. Lewis said. The concern is widespread; no states have received their 2025 mapping money. What's more, one line in the Trump administration's proposed budget could hamstring the ability of states to create basic geologic maps for years to come. Geologists in every state use federal funds to study wildfires, water resources, hazards and to map the locations of mineral deposits and energy sources. In addition to mining and fossil fuel industries, the free and publicly available maps are used by geothermal energy and real estate companies. Private companies might map a small area of particular interest but they generally do not share the information. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Experience: I've walked across three countries in a straight line
Growing up, I loved the outdoors. I gallivanted through the Staffordshire countryside with my stepbrother, Greg. We used to pick a point in the distance and create 'missions' to walk towards it. It was a mischievous challenge that saw us hopping fences, wading through rivers and sneaking around farmers. I was also obsessed with maps, and even read the Birmingham A-Z for fun. When Google Earth came out in 2005, I spent hours studying satellite images. As I got older, countryside adventures became rarer. In 2018, I was working as a van driver but made videos about geography and map-based games in my spare time. I found myself craving a challenge. I thought back to my hedge-hopping days. What if, instead of walking across a few fields, I could cross the width of a whole country – and in a perfectly straight line? I had no idea if it was possible, but using mapping software, I plotted a line across Wales from the English border to the west coast. Following a straight line might sound – literally – straightforward; the reality is anything but. Plot the wrong course, and you'll end up reaching rows of houses that are impossible to pass. You're forced to shimmy or climb over every obstacle. Trips would take multiple days, so I would carry food and toilet roll in my backpack and a tent to camp in at night. I would have to eat, sleep and 'use the toilet' without leaving the line. And even if I managed to navigate all these, there was still a risk being thrown off private farmland. My parents and my girlfriend, Verity, were sceptical and also concerned for my safety. They may have had a point. I didn't train for my first attempt, in early 2019. I got stuck on a mountain with no signal, darkness falling and hypothermia setting in. I had to abort the mission. Nonetheless, when I posted the footage online, I was blown away by the response. Viewers loved the silliness and originality of the concept, and recognised my joy as I scrambled over barbed wire, across rivers and through fields of startled sheep. I'd failed but knew I had to keep trying. After another failed Wales attempt in 2020, I decided to try Norway. The north of the country is less than 30km wide, with few farms and a right to roam – so no risk of angry farmers. But the landscape was alien to me. On one occasion, I barely escaped from a peat bog after being trapped up to my waist. Still, after two days, I finished it – crossing an entire country in a straight line for the first time. Verity was there at the finish line. It felt amazing to share the moment with her. But I couldn't stop there. After my first video, others began to try their own missions. In 2023, two straight-liners told me they planned to cross Wales. By that point, a GPS malfunction had caused my third attempt to fail; the idea of someone else doing it first was devastating. I devised a new route, prioritising mountains over farmland. It was longer, but I felt that avoiding farmers gave me the best chance of completion. I was right, and finished it in February that year, after four days. The satisfaction was incredible. Next came England, something I'd long thought was impossible. The route was more than 100km, twice the length of most of my previous walks. I travelled lighter and a crew followed me in a support van. We met whenever my line crossed a road, and I'd restock my supplies and sleep. It was my toughest challenge yet. Much of the route was forest, and on the last day I hit a sea of fallen trees. The height of the pile, and sharpness of the branches, meant a single slip could be fatal. I faced a gut-wrenching decision: abandon the mission after six days of pain or risk my life to continue. Miraculously, I found a route avoiding the worst of it and got to the end. Still, I'm glad I won't have to do it again. Since then, I've become a father, and my appetite for danger has changed. I'm incredibly thankful to my viewers, whose support has enabled me to do these challenges full-time. I'm certainly not your typical adventurer. But if I were to have any label, that's the one I'd choose – after all, isn't it every kid's dream? As told to Ed Harding Do you have an experience to share? Email experience@
Wall Street Journal
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Wall Street Journal
Waymo Wants to Bring Its Robotaxis to New York City
Waymo is pushing to deploy driverless vehicles in prized but challenging New York City. The white, camera-laden cars will return to the city next month for the first time since 2021, when Waymo conducted preliminary mapping in part of Manhattan, to do more mapping as well as testing, the company said Wednesday.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Science
- Reuters
Could this giant telescope help protect the Earth from asteroid threats?
A new telescope could transform our understanding of the universe, and help protect the Earth from asteroid threats by creating the largest map of the night sky, multiple times a night every night, for the next 10 years, according to astronomers. Alice Rizzo reports.
WIRED
13-05-2025
- WIRED
How to Use Apple Maps on the Web
Apple's mapping platform is no longer exclusively for Apple devices. A pared-down version runs in your browser; here's how to use it. Photo-Illustration:The boundaries of Apple's walled garden aren't as well defined as they used to be; Apple Maps is the latest app to break out. It has taken a while—the app launched in 2012—but you can now use Apple Maps on the web. You can load it up in a browser on Windows PCs, Macs, iPads, and even in an Android phone's mobile browser. Right now, the Apple Maps web app has a beta label attached to it, which means it's a work in progress. Expect more features and better performance over time. (You can't yet sign in with your Apple ID, for example.) You also need a compatible browser, and that means Safari, Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Despite its beta status, there's already a lot you can do with Apple Maps on the web, including looking up places, getting directions to specific places, and accessing guides to popular cities and other destinations. Map Basics Apple Maps on the web can give you a wealth of information about places. Courtesy of David Nield We don't yet have the ability to sign into Apple Maps on the web, so you'll be starting fresh every time you open it in your browser, and you will not see links to your past searches or your saved places, for example. Click the arrow icon (in the top right) to jump to your current location, based on what location your browser is reporting. The map icon just above the arrow lets you choose the map view: Standard, Satellite, or a Hybrid combination of the two. There's also a compass icon just below. Click and drag on the compass to change the orientation of the map, or click once to go back to the default (where north is directly up). In the lower right corner you've got zoom controls, and you can also zoom in and out by pinching your touchscreen or trackpad or by using the scroll wheel on your mouse. There's a navigation pane on the left you can show and hide using the icon in the very top left corner, and this gets you access to the key three parts of Apple Maps on the web: Search, Guides, and Directions. Search is simple enough: Just type in what you're looking for. You'll also see quick links to find restaurants, bars, gas stations, and other destinations in the map area you're currently looking at. With some of the larger and more well known cities in the world, an information panel pops up with more details about the place. This might include photos of landmarks as well as historical information pulled from Wikipedia. Major roads and sights worth seeing will be labeled on the map with these city overviews. Click on any label on the map for more details—the business hours or the contact details for a coffee shop, for example. Depending on what's selected, you might see photos of the place and reviews left by other people. (These reviews are typically sourced from other websites, such as Tripadvisor.) To share a place with someone else, click the share icon at the top of the info panel (the arrow and square), and you can pick a contact or app. Directions and Guides Use the linked guides to find out more about a place. Courtesy of David Nield Whenever you've got a place selected on the map, you get a Directions link you can click on. The next panel prompts you for a starting location—click inside the box and enter a start point, or choose My Location—and you can switch between driving and walking directions at the top. (Cycling and public transit directions aren't yet supported.) As usual with Apple Maps, you sometimes get a choice of routes, which may include the fastest route as well as a suggested route, which is typically the most fuel efficient or the easiest to navigate. Use the Now and Avoid dropdown menus to change your departure time and avoid tolls and freeways, if you need to, and click on any route for more information. Unless you're propping up your laptop on your car's dashboard (which we don't recommend), you're not going to be using Apple Maps on the web for the actual turn-by-turn navigation, so there's no way to actually start working your way through these directions. You can also get to the same interface via the Directions link on the side panel rather than selecting a destination first. As with the dedicated Apple Maps apps for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, you can access a series of travel guides on the web. Click Guides on the side panel to start searching. These are sourced from all over the internet and cover all kinds of topics—from the best ancient wonders of the world to the best acoustic music spots in London. You can drill down by location or by topic, like music or sports for example. You can also find guides for many larger cities just by searching for them on the map. The guides will appear in the information card that pops up; featured guides will appear first, and you can click More to see a bigger selection. It's a great way of exploring a new (or old) place, though the number of places covered by guides remains limited.
