New Orleans Mapped: Post Katrina

Five years ago New Orleans was devastated by floods caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was one of America's worst ever natural disasters.

Whilst some areas, such as the French Quarter have recovered and other areas are being rebuilt, some areas, like the New Orleans East area are still almost completely abandoned. The New Orleans East area used to have a population of more than 100,000 it now has a population of around 7,000.

Back in 2005 Nova created a New Orleans Flood Map that allows you to view an overlay of the flood over your home town. The map now looks very basic but it is still an effective way to visualise the sheer scope of the floods. 



If you zoom in on your part of the U.S. you can see the overlay superimposed on your home. The blue overlay only shows flooding in New Orleans proper. Additional flooding occurred in other suburbs.

New Orleans Repopulation Map

162,115 households received mail in June 2010, in New Orleans, compared to 203,457 in June 2005. The U.S. Census Bureau's methods for estimating population can't keep up with the extraordinary situation post-Katrina so looking at residential addresses actively receiving mail is one way that population can be estimated.

This map from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center shows residential addresses actively receiving mail by census block in New Orleans. The mailing list data represents the number of residential addresses per block where the mailman knows someone picks up the mail.

The map shows the population density in June 2010, the darker the shade the higher the density. If you zoom in on a block you can see the June 2005 households compared to the most recent figures.

New Orleans Redevelopment Authority

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority are using Google Maps to help show the condition of properties in New Orleans.

The Authority's Project Search lets you search for projects and current Requests for Proposals in its database. If you search for a New Orleans neighborhood you are presented with a list of properties. If you click on the 'more details' link next to a property you can view photographs of the property and view its location on a static Google Map.

World Wide Store Locator on Google Maps

Vitra

The Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra has a global dealer network so it is important that customers around the world can quickly find the dealer that is best for them. Vitra has therefore used Google Maps to create a store locator service to enable customers to find their local Vitra dealer.

It is possible to search the map for a Vitra dealer by entering a street, city or zip code. It is also possible to refine the results displayed on the map by type of Vitra dealer. If you click on a dealer's map marker you can get the dealer's full address, a breakdown of Vitra products offered and driving directions.

The Vitra Google Map was developed with the Weisso Pinpoint location finder.

More Open Government with Google Maps

Iconomical is a web design company that specialises in data visualisation. The company have produced two excellent Google Maps to help visualise UK Government data.

Research Funding Explorer

The UK's Department for Business Innovation and Skill has produced a great Google Maps time-line to show research funding in the country over the last ten years.

If you press play on the time-line (below the map) you can view an animated visualisation of where in the UK investment has been made. As the animation plays a heat map is generated on the Google Map and a bar chart besides the map is also animated.

London Gazette - Pollution Prevention & Control

The London Gazette is the UK's official newspaper of record for recording and disseminating official, regulatory and legal information. Iconomical have produced a data visualisation tool that lets users browse the paper's Pollution Prevention & Control notices. 

The visualisation shows all notices for 2008 and 2009. The papers are shown stacked in a time-line beside a Google Map. When you select a paper from the stack you can view the same notice on a Google Map to help find the location of applicants and where notices were issued.