Our Favorite Maps of the Year Cover Everything From Bayous to Bullet Trains

"I really love the challenge of making new things look old," said mapmaker Stephen Smith. He was inspired to make this map of US natural resources by a similar British map from around 1940 that he came across in the Boston Public Library. "Many people told me my map reminded them of their grade school wall atlas," he said. Stephen Smith

"I really love the challenge of making new things look old," said mapmaker Stephen Smith. He was inspired to make this map of US natural resources by a similar British map from around 1940 that he came across in the Boston Public Library. "Many people told me my map reminded them of their grade school wall atlas," he said.

Stephen Smith

Stamen Design produced this map---and more than 300 others like it---for the National Audubon society's report on climate change. For a given bird (the tree swallow is depicted here), the map shows how scientists predict its winter (blue) and summer (yellow) ranges to shift by 2080. National Audubon Society / Stamen Design

Stamen Design produced this map---and more than 300 others like it---for the National Audubon society's report on climate change. For a given bird (the tree swallow is depicted here), the map shows how scientists predict its winter (blue) and summer (yellow) ranges to shift by 2080.

National Audubon Society / Stamen Design

This hand-drawn map depicts a modern technology (the high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai) with an older aesthetic. Dong Zheng / Atlas of Design

This hand-drawn map depicts a modern technology (the high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai) with an older aesthetic.

Dong Zheng / Atlas of Design

Louisiana is sinking fast. Every hour, an area equivalent to a football field slips into the Gulf of Mexico. In a fascinating article in Matter earlier this year, journalist Brett Anderson explored the reasons and set out to create a state map that more faithfully represents where land meets water (right) than the official state map (left). Matter on Medium

Louisiana is sinking fast. Every hour, an area equivalent to a football field slips into the Gulf of Mexico. In a fascinating article in Matter earlier this year, journalist Brett Anderson explored the reasons and set out to create a state map that more faithfully represents where land meets water (right) than the official state map (left).

Matter on Medium

The interactive version of this map, which allows you to see a day in the life of New York City taxi as it drives around the city, picking up and discharging passengers, is strangely mesmerizing, and it was one of the most viral maps of the year. Mapmaker Chris Whong, who describes himself as an "NYC civic data enthusiast," says he was motivated by a simple question: How much does a single taxi driver earn in a shift? Chris Whong

The interactive version of this map, which allows you to see a day in the life of New York City taxi as it drives around the city, picking up and discharging passengers, is strangely mesmerizing, and it was one of the most viral maps of the year. Mapmaker Chris Whong, who describes himself as an "NYC civic data enthusiast," says he was motivated by a simple question: How much does a single taxi driver earn in a shift?

Chris Whong

The US Geological Survey used 16 years of data from four orbiting spacecraft to make this beautiful new geologic map of Mars. USGS

The US Geological Survey used 16 years of data from four orbiting spacecraft to make this beautiful new geologic map of Mars.

USGS

Smokestacks belch and boats ply the rivers in this animated version of a 1902 birds eye map of Pittsburgh. Look closely and you'll see funiculars moving up the steep cliff above the Monongahela and baseball fans jumping off a bridge to celebrate the Pirates' pennant win. Watch the full 20 second video here. Matthew Hampton

Smokestacks belch and boats ply the rivers in this animated version of a 1902 birds eye map of Pittsburgh. Look closely and you'll see funiculars moving up the steep cliff above the Monongahela and baseball fans jumping off a bridge to celebrate the Pirates' pennant win. Watch the full 20 second video here.

Matthew Hampton

This map is a page from the interactive and free-to download Atlas of Infectious Disease. The Atlas's artful combination of maps, text, photos, and information graphics earned top prize in the student dynamic map competition held each year by the North American Cartographic Information Society. James Eynard, Brooke Marston, Olivia Hollenhorst, and Lucy Romeo / Oregon State University

This map is a page from the interactive and free-to download Atlas of Infectious Disease. The Atlas's artful combination of maps, text, photos, and information graphics earned top prize in the student dynamic map competition held each year by the North American Cartographic Information Society.

James Eynard, Brooke Marston, Olivia Hollenhorst, and Lucy Romeo / Oregon State University

A choropleth map is a common way to represent socio-economic data, with the intensity of color corresponding to a country's birth rate or GDP. In this map, Esri cartographer Ken Field shifts the focus to disparities between neighboring countries. He chose 20 socio-economic indicators and used thicker lines to indicate greater disparities. See the rest of the map, and read more about his rationale here. Ken Field

A choropleth map is a common way to represent socio-economic data, with the intensity of color corresponding to a country's birth rate or GDP. In this map, Esri cartographer Ken Field shifts the focus to disparities between neighboring countries. He chose 20 socio-economic indicators and used thicker lines to indicate greater disparities. See the rest of the map, and read more about his rationale here.

Ken Field

This map of the fictional city Heisenberg, New Mexico pays homage to "one of TV’s all-time great characters," says its creator, Aaron Kidwell, a GIS analyst at The Ohio State University. Kidwell spent four months working on the map, which has neighborhoods named after characters from Breaking Bad and streets labeled with choice Heisenberg quotes. "There are many other hidden goodies located within the map as well," Kidwell said. You can look for them here. Aaron Kidwell

This map of the fictional city Heisenberg, New Mexico pays homage to "one of TV’s all-time great characters," says its creator, Aaron Kidwell, a GIS analyst at The Ohio State University. Kidwell spent four months working on the map, which has neighborhoods named after characters from Breaking Bad and streets labeled with choice Heisenberg quotes. "There are many other hidden goodies located within the map as well," Kidwell said. You can look for them here.

Aaron Kidwell

If Paris were a space station, it would look like this. Designer and molecular biologist Eleanor Lutz designed this theme for Mapbox (and blogged about it here). Eleanor Lutz / Mapbox

If Paris were a space station, it would look like this. Designer and molecular biologist Eleanor Lutz designed this theme for Mapbox (and blogged about it here).

Eleanor Lutz / Mapbox

Freelance journalist and mapmaker Aaron Reiss spent over a year mapping out what he calls "New York City's shadow transportation system," a network of "dollar" vans that shuttle people to and from areas poorly served by the city's official public transport system. This map appeared as part of an interactive feature in The New Yorker. Aaron Reiss / The New Yorker

Freelance journalist and mapmaker Aaron Reiss spent over a year mapping out what he calls "New York City's shadow transportation system," a network of "dollar" vans that shuttle people to and from areas poorly served by the city's official public transport system. This map appeared as part of an interactive feature in The New Yorker.

Aaron Reiss / The New Yorker

This map was probably used by Christopher Columbus to plan his first voyage across the Atlantic more than 500 years ago. This year, researchers began using multispectral imaging to uncover text on the map, which is too faded to be legible. They expect to have results next year. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University

This map was probably used by Christopher Columbus to plan his first voyage across the Atlantic more than 500 years ago. This year, researchers began using multispectral imaging to uncover text on the map, which is too faded to be legible. They expect to have results next year.

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University

The US Geological Survey's collection of historical topographic maps is awesome. And free. But browsing the maps and searching for something in particular has always been a chore. Not anymore. This year Esri built a handy viewer that makes it much easier. It even includes a slider bar to control the transparency of the historical map to see how a place has changed over time. USGS / Esri

The US Geological Survey's collection of historical topographic maps is awesome. And free. But browsing the maps and searching for something in particular has always been a chore. Not anymore. This year Esri built a handy viewer that makes it much easier. It even includes a slider bar to control the transparency of the historical map to see how a place has changed over time.

USGS / Esri

This map, published this year in Nature , was made by a team of scientists, geographers, and planners who want to see new roads built where they'll do the least environmental harm and the most economic good. Green areas indicate environmental sensitivity, red areas indicate economic potential---the black areas where they meet are sites of potential conflict. William Laurance et al., Nature

This map, published this year in Nature , was made by a team of scientists, geographers, and planners who want to see new roads built where they'll do the least environmental harm and the most economic good. Green areas indicate environmental sensitivity, red areas indicate economic potential---the black areas where they meet are sites of potential conflict.

William Laurance et al., Nature