Google recently announced updates to their Maps API script, with more updates planned this summer for their overall Maps platform.
The Free Library uses this API to display Google Maps in various locations on our website, most notably our Branch Map and Map Mosaic.
In preparation for Google's update, Free Library web development staff worked to upgrade the code and data displayed on the maps, as well as add some new usability features for our customers.

Branch Map
The branch map has been updated to perform like most common “store locators” found on popular retail websites.

You can now quickly view all library branches on the map at once or select which branches are open on Saturday, have a Book Drop, or are handicapped accessible.

When you click on an icon, you can see the branch address, phone number, and business hours. Customers can also type in their location and find their nearest library branches.

Map Mosaic
We've combined our map mosaic and HIP (Historical Images of Philadelphia) map into one robust and interactive digital map for customers to explore our vast collection of historical maps, digital images, and newly gathered map data for the Philadelphia region. You can select from 4 different Google Map displays: Road Map, Earth Satellite, Hybrid Map, and Terrain Map.

From the Historical Maps drop-down menu, you can select various historical maps to overlay on top of Google map of Philadelphia. The screenshot below is displaying 1934 Brewer Map of Philadelphia overlaid on top of a Google Road Map of Philadelphia.

From the Historical Images of Philadelphia drop-down menu, you can select from numerous neighborhoods and see historical images from bygone eras of Philadelphia.

We also added a new section entitled “Explore Philadelphia Today” which displays user-generated photos (via Panoramio) from around the entire city, Philly bicycle paths, and traffic in real-time.

We hope to add more helpful city services data and features to this section in the future (i.e. list of Philadelphia Public Schools, Hospitals, Parks, etc.).

There are many viewing options and configurations you can set on these maps, making it a truly immersive experience!

Try out our new map features and leave us some feedback below!

Tags: Branches, databases, maps, tech, website

Another resource and ally in the Open Data movement (as I've written about in previous blog posts) has popped up online as of last week: CultureBlocks.com.

CultureBlocks is a free web-based mapping tool that collects cultural data and assets throughout Philadelphia (i.e. schools, rec centers, public transportation, parks, and libraries) which can be combined with economic, demographic and geographic census data (i.e. neighborhoods, council districts, and school catchments) to create detailed and robust maps to inform individuals and organizations on arts initiatives, investments, and neighborhood revitilization.

The Free Library is an integral part of neighborhoods in Philadelphia and invaluable cultural asset in the city that promotes literacy and the arts.

The site was launched by the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy; the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce; The Reinvestment Fund’s (TRF) Policy Map; and the Social Impact of the Arts Project (SAIP) at the University of Pennsylvania; and is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and ArtPlace.

The web-tool is being managed by the Office of Arts Culture and the Creative Economy, which will coordinate the use of CultureBlocks among City agencies and provide technical assistance to public users. Moira Baylson, Deputy Cultural Officer of the OACCE, says, "The vision of CultureBlocks is to use data to foster economic and social vitality in Philadelphia neighborhoods."

Overall, CultureBlocks it is a very robust site and great tool to learn more about the arts and how they relate to the neighbrohoods that make Philadelphia a vibrant, exciting, and interesting place to live, work, and visit.

In related news, be on the lookout for some new map updates and features from Free Library in the coming weeks!

Tags: art, databases, maps, tech

Back in November 2012, Google updated its Maps service for browsers, as well as Android powered mobile phones and tablets, with indoor maps and floor plans of over 10,000 locations inlcuding airports, shopping malls, train stations, and museums.
You can now add Free Library of Philadelphia to that growing list of institutions, joining our Parkway neighbors the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, that are now available on Google Indoor Maps.

Google representatives visited the library back in August 2012 to survey the building and record GPS coordinates. Working together with Google's representatives, Web Development's Graphic Designer Kristin Crawford created detailed graphics of Parkway Central floor plans and uploaded them to the Google Maps Floor Plans interface.

To explore the library with Google Indoor Maps via your Android mobile device, you just have to search for "Free Library of Philadelphia" and / or type in the street address, then zoom in on the map to access the detailed floor plans.

With you GPS activated, you can also access Indoor Maps via Google Maps’ My Location feature. Your location is represented by a blue icon, and when you move up or down a level in a building with multiple floors, the interface will automatically update to display which floor you’re on.

Google Indoor Maps is currently available via desktop browsers and Android mobile devices.
An iPhone update to the Google Maps app that includes access to Indoor Maps is still forthcoming.

We hope to have indoor maps available for other branches of the Free Library system in the future!

Tags: Parkway Central, maps, mobile, tech, website

Picking up from where we left off last week:

What does Open Data mean for patrons and customers of the Free Library and what are some of the potential benefits and possibilities?

If ever there was a perfect pairing it is Open Data and the Free Library!
The Library is a huge repository of data and information (as well as history, art, culture, literature, etc.) and the Open Data Initiative operates and thrives on this type of data. When developers have access to this kind of data, they can create apps and programs with almost limitless potential, for people to use to get information quicker and more accurately than ever before.

One recent project the Free Library of Philadelphia has worked on using Open Data is the Historical Images of Philadelphia collection.

Currently in its beta phase, data for this feature includes digital images from the Philadelphiana Collection, housed in the Print and Picture Collection at the Free Library, which contains more than 20,000 historical images of Philadelphia. Using GIS mapping, a Google map of an image’s location is generated, listing the neighborhood it is in, any historical information about the digital image, as well as giving an up to date image of what is located at that address present day. This extensive collection of data has been displayed in a way that can be easily searched, mapped, and analyzed by anyone with access to the website.

That’s one of the great benefits of Open Data, is the natural progression of cross-reference and collaboration that happens once individuals and developers see the potential. The options and combinations of the services and apps that can be created using Open Data are as limitless as the information and data available.

Currently, the Free Library and its many neighborhood branches feed events through an RSS feed to EveryBlock, which in itself is a form of Open Data, but more on the social media side of things. But to build on that idea, maybe this data collected could be used for an app that allows for interactive, real-time maps (via data from Phila.gov’s CityMaps) of all Free Library of Philadelphia branches with up to the minute info on schedules, events, and new books and library materials that are available?

By having patrons and customers of the library suggesting and collaborating on data and information, it could almost be like the ultimate customer service app and the very definition of interactive culture and community.

Tags: databases, digital collections, maps, mobile, tech

This is the first part in a multi-part series looking at tech news and issues relevant to the Free Library of Philadelphia’s customers and patrons.

One of the more recent buzzwords gaining attention in the tech world and in government circles is the idea of “Open Data”. In its simplest definition, it is the sharing of information by everyone, free from restrictions (albeit without violating any copyright laws or rights to privacy), for the common good and betterment of the community.

This past April, Philadelphia joined the ranks of other major U.S. cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., in adopting an Open Data Policy to provide increased access to and transparency of data and information in its City government. The policy allows the City to publish collected data online and for the public to have the opportunity to participate in the City agency decision-making processes. After signing the Open Data Initiative into effect, Mayor Michael Nutter assigned Mark Headd as the City of Philadelphia's first Chief Data Officer.

So what does Open Data really mean to you and how can it be used in your everyday life?

Well, you are probably already using it and interacting with it on a daily basis and not even realizing it. Anytime you look up an address or map out directions on Google, you are accessing Open Data. If you call 911 for emergency help, the information from your call is logged into a database that may provide statistics for reports at a later date.

Recently, the Free Library hosted an all-day event in cooperation with City of Philadelphia as part of National GIS Day.

Various uses of Open Data are currently being employed in City Planning, Police Operations, Streets, Emergency Management, and most recent in the development of the Philly 311 app. Online through their website or through its mobile app, you can use Philly 311 to request non-emergency city services and report neighborhood issues such as street light outage, potholes, sanitation and abandoned automobiles.

Through GIS (Geographic Information Systems), the City has developed a robust maps website, CityMaps, that creates detailed maps out of data where you can for example find information on police crime reports and statistics, what day of the week your trash is collected, or to find out the boundaries of a specific city zip code. And this is just a very small sampling of what is currently possible with GIS and Open Data.

Next time, we'll discuss the potential benefits of Open Data for the patrons and customers of the Free Library...

Tags: Events at the Library, Government Information, databases, maps, tech