Thursday, November 06, 2008

Bringing Art to Google Maps

HistoGrafica
The Flat Iron Building in 1903
HistoGrafica is an on-line community whose aim is to show in pictures how the world has changed through time. In essence HistoGrafica is an archive of old photographs and pictures tagged on a Google Map.

I have had hours of fun this morning comparing the photographs on HistoGrafica with the current view as shown by Google Maps Street View. For example compare the Street View shot (below) of the Flat Iron building in New York with the same view in 1903 (above).

The Flatiron Building today

Art Beat API
Tokyo Art Beat have launched an API to allow developers access to their database of Art and Design information, venues and events in Japan and New York City. You can see the API in action on Japanese site Binbo Date.

Binbo Date

Binbo Date is a Japanese site that helps organise cheap dates with little or no money. The site is built around a Google Map of Tokyo.

The map shows cheap bars and restaurants and, using the Art Beat API, free art events currently on in Tokyo. When you click on one of the map markers the details of the event and venue are displayed under the map.

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