Workflows, a new workflow builder introduced by Carto, allows people to build geo-data-processing workflows without writing code. It simplifies the creation of nested SQL queries. It provides means to import data from an external service or send the processing result via email.
The full extent of capabilities is pretty sparse at the moment. Workflows is currently in private beta; the public beta will be released in the “coming weeks.”
I previously posted a list of updates to Geojson.io. Chris Whong, one of Geojson.io’s maintainers, pointed out on Twitter that most of the functionality I reported as new existed before the update. I have corrected the post based on Chris’ correction and the updated changelog.
The post was the result of sloppy work on my part. I know how to read a commit history, and I should have done that to verify my assumptions.
Christopher Beddow reported it first (at least in my timeline); the small-scale GeoJSON editor Geojson.io received an update after development had lied dormant for a while.
There are no recent releases, the changelog hasn’t been updated in over four years, and the Mapbox blog is quiet on the topic. It’s hard to precisely summarise what has changed. But based on my memory of the feature set before the update, newly added features include the following:
Update: Chris Whong pointed out on Twitter that most of the functionality outlined above was already existing prior to last week’s update. Chris has also updated the changelog. I missed a couple of new features, including:
Martijn van Exel wrote a review of Every Door, the OpenStreetMap editor for mobile phones:
We had a lot of fun mapping with Every Door, and I think we were more productive adding and updating POIs than we could have been with any other app! There’s lots of little things that make your life easier. […] I would encourage anyone who likes to get out and survey to try it!! Huge thanks to Ilya for making Every Door available to the community.
I have reported on Every Door before; you should read Martin’s review for an opinion from someone who edits OpenStreetMap much more than I do.
QField, is an open-source app for collecting and managing geographic data in the field that integrates tightly with QGIS, the poster child of open-source desktop GIS. Until recently, the app was only available for Android phones, but since the release 2.4 you can also use it on iPhone devices.
We all love a bit of retro flair on our maps, don’t we? If you agree, then BellTopo Sans might be what you’re looking for. Designed by Sarah Bell, it’s a sans-serif typeface for map labels, inspired by old USGS maps:
When you see this typeface that I’m referring to on these old beautiful maps, you may think it is nothing special. It’s simple. It might even be very similar to a common font that you already know. Perhaps you’re thinking, “Why didn’t she use that font?” But for me, the beauty of this typeface that I see on old USGS maps exists within its subtle differences.
I like BellTopo Sans because, unlike many modern fonts, it is a little rough around the edges — it has character. Look at that upper-case R and that lower-case g; just look at them.
BellTopo Sans works best in medium font sizes and with a bit of character spacing.
JSON documents can be challenging to read, especially GeoJSON, with complex geometries and many feature properties. JSONCrack visualises JSON documents in a graph, making them easier to parse visually and to understand their structure and content.
JSONCrack works best with small(ish) files. I initially tested with a 17.7MB GeoJSON file that contains about 16,000 records. While it parses and formats the file without issues, it can’t produce the visualisation. Only at about 500 records did JSONCrack render the visual representation.
Instead of using an established navigation service and handing over details about where you’re going, how about running the infrastructure required for routing and navigation on a server you control so you know where your location data is going.
That’s the idea behind Headway, a batteries-included software stack including a front-end application, basemap, geocoder and routing engine. With just a few commands, You can spin up a Headway instance on your local machine within minutes. You can build Headway using data from over 200 preconfigured metropolitan areas, a custom OpenStreetMap extract, or the whole planet.
Headway bundles many well-known open-source software, such as MapLibre for its map client, Pelias for geocoding, Valhalla for routing, Planetiler to prepare vector tiles from OpenStreetMap, and many more.
For most people, even the nerdy folks out there, running and maintaining a personal Headway instance for your navigation needs is still likely too much effort and cost. But for anyone trying to build a business that needs navigation, Headway is a fantastic starting point to make a product.
To test Headway without lifting a finger, you can try maps.earth instance.
Nick Herr, usually writing about Apple-related topics, writes about What3Words:
But I stumbled across this amazing catalogue of how What3Words is insufficient for emergency use. This comes by way of a Twitter thread where the queue to see Queen Elizabeth’s coffin has apparently stretched as far away as North Carolina and California.
Apparently, four of the seven locations announced until yesterday afternoon were incorrect because of minor typos.
What3Words isn’t fit for purpose, not for any purpose, really. The more people realise this, the better, especially the ones outside the usual geo crowd.
New from Placemark: Betterknown, a small library offering functions to convert geometries between WKT or EWKT, and GeoJSON.