Long gone are the days when it was enough to indicate your address and phone number on the contact page. Today, any company that values ​​its customers must place a location map next to the address. This is very convenient, including from a UX point of view. You can create a simple travel map using the Yandex.Maps or Google Map constructor. But sometimes you need something more complex - for example, a map may be needed for a presentation or to create infographics. In this case, you can use special online tools to create custom maps. Some of these tools allow you to create interactive maps that can present information in a user-friendly way. FreelanceToday brings you 10 free map making tools.

The Animaps service expands the functionality of Google Maps, allowing you to create maps with animated markers. Markers move around the map, showing, for example, the route of movement. A very useful service for creating interactive infographics. Using Animaps, you can create a whole story about an event, accompanying it with text blocks and illustrations.

Easy to use, Scribble Maps has a variety of tools to create almost any kind of map. You can make a regular route map, but at the same time, the service can be useful for designers who would like to create colorful infographics. Scribble Maps allows you to add text, images, draw and color various geometric shapes, place markers, and much more. If you need infographics based on a map, you can’t think of a better tool. The finished map can be posted on a website, on a blog, or sent to a client by saving it in PDF format.

The creators of the MapTiler service made sure that user-created maps are displayed on any device. MapTiler is one of the most convenient applications for preparing tiles using the Google Maps API. Unfortunately, the free version of the program has very limited functionality, with which you can create only the simplest maps.

HeatmapTool is the best online tool for creating highly accurate heat maps. With this map you can quickly visualize data using different colors. The service allows you to control the radius, scaling and opacity of heat spots. Information can be updated in real time. Why was this service created? Primarily for visual display of any statistical data in a pre-selected region. You can make quite complex maps, for example, using the service you can show cellular network coverage, population density in the country and much more. The service is very powerful; it can be used to quickly process even very large volumes of statistical data.

After purchasing Nokia, Microsoft significantly improved its mapping service Bing Maps. Nokia maps have always been highly detailed and have good coverage, so you don't have to worry about accuracy. The functionality of the service cannot boast of variety, but there are quite enough tracks, markers and geometric shapes to create a fairly informative map. It is also possible to add images and text comments. After finishing the work, you need to save the result, after which Bing Maps will generate a link and code for embedding the map on the site.

The friendly user interface of the Click2Map service will help you quickly and easily create interactive maps of any level of complexity. The powerful functionality of the service will allow you to create professional maps in the shortest possible time. Using a large set of icons, you can personalize the map if you need to talk about a specific area of ​​activity. Thematic markers will allow users to easily navigate the map. Markers can also be used to determine the location of a specific point. The marker supports various types of content - text, images, HTML code. To gain access to all the features of the service, you will have to sign up for a paid subscription, but if you register a free account, you can create maps with a limited number of markers, a maximum of 10.

The ZeeMaps mapping service makes it easy to create, publish and share interactive maps. The service is based on Google Map and with its help you can create even a very complex map with a large amount of data. Statistics can be imported from Excel, Access, MS Outlook and other programs. There are no restrictions on the number of markers; information can be changed at any time according to the user's wishes. You can add pictures, text, audio files, and videos from YouTube to markers.

The UMapper application allows you to create embedded flash maps. UMapper's visual editor is intuitive and allows you to add markers, draw shapes, and add interactive elements to your map. The service takes cartographic data from Microsoft Virtual Earth, Google, Yahoo, OpenStreet, which makes it truly universal. You can even make money using the application - if the created card receives 50 thousand views in a month, the service will transfer $12.50 to the user’s account. Disadvantages of UMapper include the watermark that appears on the map when using the free version and the display of built-in advertisements on the map.

GmapGis is a simple online application for drawing on Google maps. You can place markers, measure the distance between two points on the map, draw lines and geometric shapes. All functionality is presented at the top of the page, so there will be no problems using the service - everything is very clear. The result can be saved as a file or as a link. While using GmapGIS, a problem may occur - the user cannot draw a line or draw a figure. In this case, the developers recommend closing and opening the browser again. After this, you will have full access to all functionality.

Progress does not stand still, and today dozens of programs are available for tourists that facilitate and automate work with topographic maps, which are vital for planning a route and moving along it. After all, having a detailed, high-quality and up-to-date map reduces the risk of an emergency situation occurring on the route, and facilitates the decision-making process if such a situation does arise. Many countries realized this and released extremely detailed maps, and the Americans generally opened up access to their originally military global navigation system (GPS).

For us, tourists, the most relevant are the maps posted on the websites of the University of Berkeley and the “Czech website”. You can “link” them yourself or buy them already linked to work in OziExplorer. Overview maps of the Caucasus (already linked) can be downloaded for free from this site.

OziExplorer

The most famous and widespread program for working with raster maps. And since the most detailed maps for tourism are scanned topographic ones, there is virtually no alternative to using this program. Offhand, the most popular features of this program are:

convenient cataloging of maps: with one click you can open a map to the south/north/east/west of the current one, or a more/less detailed one for the same point

convenient exchange of tracks/points. You no longer need to spend hours explaining to a person by phone or mail what route you are talking about - just “draw” it on top of the map in the program and send the resulting file, a couple of kilobytes in size, by mail and the recipient will definitely understand you.

synchronization with navigators. The most popular models Garmin, Magellan and others are supported. You can draw a path and mark key points on top of a detailed map and send them to your navigator. Or get this information into the program from the navigator and see on a good map how you walked :)

calculating distance in a couple of mouse clicks (curvimeter no longer needed)

printing any map fragment at a given scale with all your notes (or without them)

convenient selection of maps - by clicking on the overview map (index) you can select which map from those available for a given area should be opened

Version STRM- very detailed, but there are annoying inaccuracies in places where remote sensing results are difficult to obtain (high mountains, rocks, ice). Installation: unpack the files from the archive into any convenient folder. IN OziExplorer enter menu“Height” (requires Ozi 3D installed) - setting up work with heights - on the second tab in the Globe (Arcview) line, check the box and specify the path to the folder into which you unpacked the files from the archive.

Download, 67.2 MB

NameSearch database

To the territory of the Caucasus. Almost thirty thousand names of mountains, rivers, settlements and other objects. Enter the first letters of the name into the search box and you will be asked to select an object from those found. With one click you can open a map with this object. Installation: unzip the files from the archive to any folder, launch Ozi and click the icon on the toolbar. In the window that appears, click the "Load" button and specify the path to the file unpacked from the archive. Important: the search is case sensitive, i.e. Capitalize the first letter of the name.

Download, 0.6 MB

Since I started telling you about programs, I will continue this topic, since I see from the number of reposts that topics about software are popular. My previous program reviews can be found here:


Today a few words about how I work with maps when preparing to go somewhere. The SAS.Planet program, which is absolutely free, helps me a lot with this. You can download it. It's a simple archive, you don't even need to install anything, just unpack it.
In this post I’ll tell you a little about its main functions. The main thing about this program is that it works with a huge number of maps and all kinds of layers that can be combined in any way. It also allows you to cache all these maps (already downloaded), and then use them without access to the Internet, which is important in places where network access is limited. But let's talk about everything in more detail. She looks like this:

I'll go through the main menu items:
- Selecting an area- selecting a method for selecting an area and the area itself with which you want to perform any operations
- Measuring distances- measuring the distances between two straight lines and the entire route, but you have to place the points yourself; the route distance is not calculated
- Full screen- switch the program to full screen mode (F11)
- Receiver menu allows you to connect a GPS receiver to your laptop and navigate directly in this program
I will write in more detail about the remaining main points below.

In the View panel we can configure the appearance of the program. Everything there is intuitive. For example, the Show Scale menu shows a compass

A Night mode - switches the program to night mode

In the Source menu, the user can select the source of maps, or rather the method of delivering maps to the program. There are three menus

I recommend using the Internet and cache for situations when there is access to the network and Cache when there is none

Search allows you to search for objects using Yandex and Google

In the Cards menu you can choose which cards we will use. There are a lot of different maps here and you should try different maps for the area you need. For example, to travel around Georgia I used the Gurtam card. And I like her in Russia too. But the choice is great - try it. There are also quite interesting additional maps: maps of the Moon, Mars, Stars, aerial photographs from the Second World War, Mende of the 19th century and many others. This is what I like most about this program - everything in one place with a very intuitive interface, completely free

While writing this post, my Internet began to act up and I decided to download the latest version of the program, so the interface is slightly different, but essentially everything is the same. A list of changes, innovations and bug fixes can be found on the program website.

In the Layers menu, you can select multiple layers (you can only select one map) at the same time. For example, here I chose photos from Panoramio, Yandex.Traffic and Transport

Another thing that is simply amazingly implemented in the program is working with markers. In the markers menu, you can simply place markers to remember where to go and what to see, but the main thing is that here you can create a path with different characteristics. Just select the Add a new path menu and place the start point and destination point on the map, after which we select the parameters for building the path - I chose by distance

In a few seconds, a path in points is ready, which can be spread along the entire length of the path!

So before the trip, if you take a laptop with you, I recommend installing this program and first downloading all levels of maps of the area you need from the network into the cache at home, so that you always have detailed maps at hand, regardless of whether there is a network or not. Better yet, lay out a detailed route and save it right there, and while laying it out, you can look at photos from Panoramio so as not to miss the most interesting places.
Have a nice and interesting trip!

Currently the program free. The code already entered in the top line allows unlimited use.

To work with the program you need to download two files: and . The first file is the program itself. The second file is a collection of associative metaphorical cards.

Especially for (paranoid) cautious people, the files are checked by VirusTotal. These files must be in the same directory and have original names.

Launch the program. Select deck . If you put tick "Associations"— an associative experiment will be launched, which will be written about below, as about mode No. 4. If there is no check mark - "Reactions" there will be mode No. 3, also described below. There will be a show button in the map window "random deck".

Description

Metaphorical cards– a wonderful tool that every practical psychologist can use. They allow both diagnostics of the client’s pressing problems and psychotherapeutic work.

For a psychologist consulting online, there are some difficulties associated with the use of metaphorical maps. Of course, you can work with images directly on your computer. There are programs that allow you to randomly select mind map images from a directory. You can post metaphorical cards on the Internet: on social networks, on the website. There are web applications that allow you to work with mind maps online. They also offer the user randomly selected cards.

The question of whether the metaphorical cards chosen from the deck you hold in your hands are random is a very interesting and complex one. There are versions that on an unconscious level we “feel” which card we need now. Which metaphorical card to pull out. If so, then randomly selecting a card using a program will not give the wonderful result that we can get when working with metaphorical cards directly, “manually.” This, in turn, makes it difficult for psychologists conducting online psychological consultations to use metaphorical maps.

A program for working with metaphorical maps "Metaphor" solves the above problems and opens up new opportunities for the user that are not available during normal work with the deck. Program for work With association cards "Metaphor" allows you to work with metaphorical maps in the following ways:

1. Selecting a card face up. You can look through the entire deck of metaphorical cards and select the card you need.
2. Random map selection. As mentioned above, the Metaphor program for working with associative cards allows you to select random cards from a deck.
3. Unconscious choice when viewing the entire deck of metaphorical cards in frame 25 mode.
4. Verbal association to an unconscious stimulus, when viewing the entire deck of associative cards in frame 25 mode.

The last two items on this list are the innovations that deserve special attention. Let us dwell in more detail on the principles of operation of the program in the third mode.

The principle of operation of the program in mode No. 3

Everything happens quickly. In frame 25 mode, the user is presented with metaphorical cards one after another. To be precise, 20 milliseconds or 1/50th of a second. After this, the metaphorical card is covered with its own copy, blurred into squares or circles. The user is faced with the task: to react as quickly as possible to the appearance of each new associative map - click on it with the mouse. If he was in a hurry or late, the click is not counted and the card is presented again.

The main idea of ​​this work is that our emotions and experiences influence the course of processes in our nervous system. This was scientifically substantiated by Alexander Romanovich Luria in the forties of the twentieth century. The experiment is called: associative motor reaction A.R. Luria. If the presented stimulus, in our case a metaphorical card, is significant for the user, then the speed of his reaction will be either higher or lower than average. The average, in turn, is determined by the speed of reaction to obviously neutral stimuli.

Thus, the user looks through the entire deck of metaphorical cards and the program selects for him exactly those cards to which he reacted emotionally. And it really works! I did this several times and tortured my friends and relatives with experiments. You go through this kind of testing, look at the cards and understand that the program has chosen from the deck of metaphorical cards exactly those cards that you need now. Oh miracle!

The principle of operation of the program in mode No. 4

The presentation of metaphorical cards occurs here in almost the same way as in mode No. 3. Only the frame is presented not once, but many times. Under the associative map there is a line in which you need to enter the first word that comes to mind. We understand that this is a real association.

The significance of metaphorical cards for the user is first determined using mode No. 3 - associative motor reaction of A.R. Luria. Many of the most significant ones are selected. Then, when recording associations to a stimulus hidden by a mask, the specific time spent writing one letter is calculated. Thus, if the typing speed is higher or lower than average, the stimulus is considered significant.

The path to the unconscious

As a result of numerous experiments, I became convinced that such associations are deeply personal, unconscious in nature. The stimulus is not realized, which means that the defense mechanisms do not have time to work. Unconsciously, we can even choose those cards that contain a metaphor for our problem in an open, explicit form. Thus, we can say that the program for working with metaphorical cards “Metaphor” opens access To unconscioususers. Makes it possible to perform in-depth analysis and work with deep, unconscious content.

Due to its features, the program for working with associative maps will be very useful for online consulting psychologists and psychotherapists who use in their work metaphorical association cards.

In the hands of a modern psychoanalyst, the program can become a wonderful, powerful tool that will automate and facilitate work with patients.

Also, the program can become interesting entertainment and a useful tool for everyone who wants to discover and understand their inner world.

Programs for working with maps for GPS navigators.

↓ New in the "Maps, diagrams" category:

Free
The railway map of the CIS and Baltic countries is an interactive map of railway stations and sections. By hovering the mouse cursor, you can obtain additional information about objects on the map; there is a filter of stages based on a number of characteristics, as well as a search for stations and roads by the region specified in the name.

Free
Distance Table 2.1 is an application that will help you quickly calculate the distance between two cities. The “Distance Table” application has the ability to carry out calculations for 62 cities of the CIS, and also allows you to add your own data for calculations.

Free
eCity - Electronic map of Chernivtsi No. 57 (December 2011) is an application that will display a large array of information relating to enterprises and organizations of the city of Chernivtsi and the Chernivtsi region.

Free
Transnavicom Electronic map of Moscow 3.0 is a unique application with the latest geographic information systems and Transnavicom's own advanced developments.

Free
Map of Sevastopol 3.1 is an application that will display the most complete and detailed map of Sevastopol, with the possibility of its off-line use. The Sevastopol Map application is divided into 57 separate fragments, it contains a search for 487 city streets and has a built-in Sevastopol Slang Dictionary with 230 terms.

Free
pMetro 1.29.4 is a metro directory for Moscow and other cities. The pMetro application will help you view the metro map of cities, in some cases, the map of electric trains, and will allow you to find the shortest route between stations.

Free
Map of Kazan 1.4.1 is a convenient application that will help you navigate existing routes for trams, buses, trolleybuses or minibuses.

Free
MMetro 2.5.1 is an application that acts as a guide to the Moscow, Kyiv, St. Petersburg and Kharkov metro. The MMetro application will display the metro map, as well as the optimal route for travel between the specified two stations.

Free
MosMap Light - Moscow Map 3.1 is a detailed map of the Russian capital, which is detailed down to an individual house. The MosMap application has easy navigation on the map with a powerful search system and will provide information about administrative and municipal districts, industrial sites, all rivers and ponds, streets of Moscow, Zelenograd and the near Moscow region.

Free
NASA World Wind 1.4.0 is an application that will show three-dimensional images of the surfaces of the Moon or Earth with the ability to perform a virtual search. The NASA World Wind application will make it possible not only to view the 3D surface of the Earth, but also to examine the surface of the Earth's satellite - the Moon.

Free
sms2GoogleMap 1.1.1 is a convenient application for displaying the location of the owner of the GPS tracker on satellite maps in GoogleMap. The sms2GoogleMap application is essentially a GPS monitoring or GPS tracking system with the ability to send your coordinates using SMS to a cell phone. In this case, the application will display the location of the GPS tracker on satellite maps on Google.

Free
Navio 3.15 is an application that is an advanced GPS compass. The Navio application can perform a large number of calculations based on the data provided to it by the GPS receiver.

Free
TourMap 2.3 is a free map showing St. Petersburg and Moscow. The TourMap application also supports GPS and can be used on both PC and laptop.

Free
Earth3D 1.0.5 is an application that can display a model of the globe in real time. The Earth3D application displays the model in three dimensions and allows you to rotate it, zoom in or out, and easily fly around the planet.

Free
SAS.Planet 110418 is an application that will download and display high-resolution satellite images provided by Google Maps, Yandex Maps, Kosmosniki, Yahoo Maps, Virtual Earth, Gurtam, eAtlas, OpenStreetMap, iPhone maps and others.

Free
Google Earth 6.2.0.5905 Free is a unique application that will provide the opportunity to carry out an interactive journey around the entire planet. The Google Earth application will allow you to see images from various places on the planet that were taken from a satellite, view maps of areas or structures in the form of a three-dimensional image, and even sink to the bottom of the ocean or fly into space.