Blueprint Map: Can you guess the name of the city from its outline?
A data scientist is hoping that people will soon be able to add their own locations to Blueprint Map
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Your support makes all the difference.A data scientist, who this time last year had never made a map before, is attempting to create a blueprint of the entire world.
Lauren Ancona, from the US city of Philadelphia, decided to try her hand at digital cartography because she was not happy with the amount of information about parking in her home city that was available online.
She explained to The Independent that as she charted street regulations in Philadelphia last summer, she stumbled upon an open source software tool called Mapbox Studio, which enables users to create custom base maps.
From there, she set herself the daunting task of mapping the world as a learning exercise.
Take our quiz below to see if you can guess the city from its blueprint
Rather than Google Maps, the Blueprint Map uses Open Street Map – a Wikipedia-type website for cartography - and the City of Philadelphia's Open Data resources.
Ancona added that her ultimate goal is to write a web application which will let users map their own location, anywhere the world.
“I love all of the beautiful maps you see available on art sites now, but they're often only available for a limited selection of major cities.
"I'm also learning to code right now, and my ultimate goal is to write a little web application that lets users choose their own location — anywhere in the world — and have a custom print made in the Blueprint map style," she said.
She added that the reaction the her project has been mind blowing.
“It's been so wildly interesting to people, it's blown my mind. It began as an exercise for me to learn a software language and practice designing maps! They've been sharing screenshots of their town with the hashtag #blueprinted,” she said.
She hopes that her original project on parking in her home city, named Parkadelphia, will launch soon.
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