Google Map pinpoints blast origin

Reading my daily dose of updates from Google Maps Mania blog I came across this interesting post: Google Maps Finds Location of Pipe Bomb. It is a basic yet compelling example that simple GIS tools can be very helpful in solving real life problems. On this occasion community collaboration enabled police to pinpoint location of the bomb explosion that shook the neighbourhood a few hours earlier.



Open collaboration setting in Google My Maps allowed people to add coloured markers to the map to say whether they heard the explosion or not. Red markers meant they 'heard a loud boom, windows or building shook', blue markers that they 'heard it, but no further detail', yellow indicates it was 'heard with no shaking' and green indicates the explosion was not heard. The clustering of the markers pointed where the explosion originated.


Full story at: readwriteweb.com