Japanese Earthquake Maps

A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake has hit off the north-east coast of Japan causing a tsunami that has caused extensive damage. The earthquake struck about 250 miles from Tokyo and there have been powerful aftershocks.


Map from Earthquakes in the Last Week

Google has released a Person Finder for Japan. Using the application it is possible to search for information or add information for someone who may have been affected by the earthquake.

This Google Map shows the locations of impromptu shelters set-up to help with food, drink and blankets etc.


Temporary Shelters Map

The USGS has created a Google Gadget that allows you to view near real-time earthquake information. The gadget uses the Google Earth browser plug-in to show worldwide seismic hotspots.


Map from Real-time Earthquakes

In the USA the National Weather Service Forecast Office has issued a tsunami warning for the west coast of America.


NWSFO tsunami warning for the San Francisco / Monterey Bay area

Fusion Friday

Newspapers in particular seem to have embraced Fusion Tables as the data backend for Google Maps. 

In the UK The Guardian seems very keen on Fusion Tables, especially on its Data Blog. The Guardian's Data Blog is a great source for data and the paper itself often creates Google Maps of the data.

A good example is this Google Map showing the carbon emissions for public buildings in England and Wales. The energy performance of more than 40,000 schools, hospitals and government departments are shown on the map.


The Carbon Footprint of Public Sector Buildings

In the USA The LA Times and The Texas Tribune have both used Fusion Tables to create maps to report on the 2010 Census.

The LA Times has produced a Google Map to show the 2010 census counts by California’s congressional districts. The map shows how many residents the 53 congressional districts are above or below the target 702,905 population.


2010 Census Counts by California’s Congressional Districts

The Texas Tribune, on the other hand, has created this Google Map to visualise the Texas population by race and Hispanic origin. The map displays the totals for each district, with darker colours representing higher rates of total population growth by race or Hispanic origin. 


Texas Population By Race, Hispanic Origin