Today, I found an innovative or even surprising example of web mapping use. On the website of Cemeteries in Szczecin, there is an example of how web mapping technologies can be used to map cemetery. Unfortunately, the website is in Polish langauge only but I believe using maps is pretty language-less.
On the main page of the website, there is a list of all cemeteries in Szczecin. Next, you can select one of them and display detailed map, for instance of Central Cemetery in Szczecin.
The map is clickable and provides basic navigation tools like zoom in/out, pan, full extent, displays scale, etc. There is are also other tools like search engine with results located results on the map. It’s also possible to display aerial and satellite photos as map background.
It’s not easy to find out what is this web mapping application powered by. The only thing I’ve managed to reveal is it’s developed using application server and database called ICOR. It’s probably based on MS SQL Server and ASP. Whatever. I think the overall concept is quite intersting and points new area for web mapping applications.
More about Szczecin
Hiya Mateusz,
It’s probably not all that common, but I know of a few municipalities within BC that either have existing cemetery maps, or are currently building them.
This includes the City of North Vancouver
http://www.cnv.org/cemeterymap/default.htm
the City of Kelowna
http://www.kelowna.ca/website/icemetery_map_viewer/viewer.cfm
and the City of Trail
http://www.trail.ca/mapping/cemetery.php
I hadn’t seen this last one before (just ran into it when researching this comment) and I think it’s a really good example of search-based mapping. Similar to PortlandMaps.
As well, the City of Nanaimo and City of Vancouver are working on their own cemetery maps.
Nanaimo’s will be based on MapGuide Open Source / Enterprise and involves a lot of work on the part of DM Solutions Group; I’ve put a screenshot on my site:
http://www.jasonbirch.com/files/nanaimo_cemetery.jpg
For interest sake, the plot featured in the screen shot belongs to the City’s first mayor.
I think that cemeteries are a really good use of web mapping. They have typically needed to have physical maps on site for “asset management”, so the source data is often readily available. And with all the interest in geneology, the public really finds them useful.
And now for one of my pet peeves. It’s INTERMENTS folks, not INTERNMENTS. Drop the second N!
:)
Jason
Hmm. For the research-crazy, more info on our first mayor, Mark Bate:
http://aabc.bc.ca/aabc/nanaimo/markbate.html
I think it’s pretty amazing that he lived until 90 in that day and age.
Jason
Jason, thank you for the rich set of examples of cemetery maps.
All they look very professional and provide really nice features.
I’m sure maps of cemeteries are nothing extraordinary in Canada or USA, but I see this subject as still new in Poland. So, I called it innovative :-)
Googling for mapa cmentarza what in Polish language means map of cemetery reports only around 190 results. Most of websites from the result do not include any web mapping services of cemeteries but static bitmaps or just a general info, ie. about printed maps. So, there is still a lot of to do in this field in Poland :-)
Mapping cemeteries is quite an interesting subject. It’s not only about showing people how to find a way to graves but it’s about mapping a history, mapping various communities living somewhere in past, for instance, locating jewish cemeteries in eastern europe.
I’m not a researcher of this area at all. I’ve just found it as next area where maps are cool, quoting Schuler Erle‘s from his show on the last FOSS4G 2006.
Thanks!
Another extremely nice example is:
http://www.pere-lachaise.com/perelachaise.htm
Maybe we will go in that way with cemetery map in Szczecin.
The online cemetery map in Szczecin is work in progress. We managed to start the project just before the Polish “halloween”. In two weeks we’ve got
almost two millions hits.
Here is a link to next stage of our development – the view of single grave:
http://cmentarze.szczecin.pl/showpage?chapter=11975&smode=3&p1oid=F27262A4DB8B4ED3B1D51BD4EFE7F4D3&p2oid=6AF035F41D12483DBA9655C5C83E16BD&pq3=&pq4=&pq1=3&pq2=
And here is the example of feedback from relatives:
http://cmentarze.szczecin.pl/showpage?chapter=11975&smode=2&p1oid=9E5F1CA71F57431592926FFD232764DA
Rafal of http://www.icor.pl
Rafal,
I’m very glad to see your – as a representative of ICOR – comment here.
It’s interesting and new subject, as all web mapping activities, in Poland.
Could you give a few words of explanation of web mapping technologies you are using inside ICOR server?
May be you could also give some details about future plans, licensing, etc.?
Cheers