google-maps on S Anand

Creating a scrollytelling map

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:25:50 +0530

I had Claude Code with Fable create a small scrollytelling map for my 14-minute walk experience at Bagmane Capital in Bangalore.

I used this as an opportunity to explore the current status of the technology. ChatGPT suggested:

Try ArcGIS StoryMaps first for a polished scrollytelling story.
Try Google Earth Projects if this is primarily something you will present live, like a map-based slide deck.
Use MapLibre GL JS with a coding agent if you want precise choreography, animated routes, unusual visual effects, or an asset you can continually extend.

None of these fit my requirements, which was:

Hostable, self-contained, on GitHub Pages
Forever free tiles, to the extent possible

Based on its recommendations, my workflow was:

Capture locations in Google Maps. Right-click and copy the latitude, longitude.
Capture routes in Google My Maps. This was insight. MyMaps lets you export driving, walking, and cycling routes as KML. (No bike routes, though.)
Create a single-page index.html using MapLibre GL JS with a free OpenFreeMap basemap.

I created the MyMaps routes…

… exported layers as KML files, and meta-prompted Codex with my story written in this form:

I was staying at [The Curzon Court, Brigade Road](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ArHn75eAihHzZXcr9). 12.97454856819103, 77.60788450296555

I needed to be at [Microsoft Luxor North Tower](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tf5qZGwXogetSJr46) 12.984402817080221, 77.70407412470264
for a 2 pm [workshop](https://hasgeek.com/fifthelephant/when-data-is-for-agents-workshop/).

So I came over to [Seetharampalya Metro Station](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z4deFUzZsqamcCZC9) 12.98116461318051, 77.70872373073122
and seated myself at [Fairfield by Marriott](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NJqUfFnHL4QW8xa2A) 12.981961760138114, 77.70869689674738
by 11 am.

...

… and also attached a series of .kml files for the routes. The generated prompt had some nice suggestions, such as:

Break the story into well-paced scenes, preserving its dry, escalating humour.
Make time pressure visible through restrained clocks, timestamps, distance and ETA annotations.
Build tension toward the late arrival, then treat the security confrontation with deadpan repetition.
End quietly and anticlimactically at Bug & Bean with the peri peri paneer sandwich.
… etc.

But one interesting idea I didn’t explore was to “Have the coding agent add an authoring mode”, specifically:

In authoring mode:

Clicking the map copies [longitude, latitude].
Copy camera copies the current center, zoom, bearing and pitch.
Copy visible bounds copies southwest and northeast coordinates.
Import KML/GeoJSON previews routes.
Selecting a route offers Create fit chapter.
Clicking a marker offers Create point chapter.
A panel shows the exact chapter JSON.
Pressing C copies the current camera.
Pressing P creates a placemark.
Pressing B creates a fit-to-bounds instruction.

This is a great idea - fairly easy to implement, meaning that I can even do away with map authoring software in the future.

AI agents write software, but also know what software features are useful. That makes taste more niche (i.e. I’ll use / buy your software if I already know and totally align with your taste, but otherwise, I’ll mix-and-match and build my own.)

Driving from California to Stockholm

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:00:00 +0000

Google Maps directions from California to Stockhom. Google suggests a “Swim across the Atlantic Ocean”. 3,462 miles. Estimated time: 29 days 0 hours

Comments

Crazyassblondechick 29 Mar 2007 9:46 pm: wow that’s really funny!
nku 30 Mar 2007 2:25 am: Ha ha ha. Someone at Google taking “creativity” very seriously :)
aussie desi 30 Mar 2007 10:16 pm: Someone at Google got the speed of humans in water totally wrong. In order to cover this distance, the person needs to swim 8kms an hour non stop. The FINA world record for 1500 meters is 14:34.56. Thus a person can swim only 6 kms an hour. Creativity - 10/10 Math - 0/10

Panoramas on Google Maps

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0000

xRez has some stunning, large (gigapixel-sized) panoramas that you can zoom into using the Google Maps interface. It’s similar to the Gigapixel project, I think.

New Google services

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 12:00:00 +0000

New from Google: Google Finance, and Google Mars.

Comments

Sathya 22 Mar 2006 8:30 am: Welcome Back !

Windows Live Local

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Windows Live Local tries to match Google Maps. But Google Maps is just too fast. As I mentioned earlier (Why Google Reader): the reason I like Google is largely speed.>

Nokia GPS and Google Maps

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Mobile Google Maps with GPS.

Google Maps addressing

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 12:00:00 +0000

The addressing system for Google Maps.

Google Maps traffic violation

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Google Maps gets Edwin Soto out of a traffic violation. He was able to use his laptop and wi-fi connection at the court to show the judge that Cathedral Parkway, where he ran a red light, was a two-way street and not a one-way as the cop indicated.

Google Moon

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Google Moon. At the highest magnification, the moon is made of cheese. At the lowest, the moon is rectangular. But it apparantly isn’t a prank.

Comments

jayant 21 Jul 2005 3:41 am: Interesting - Just drag the zoom to max and leave it there. The picture colour changes. Wonder why…
Dhar 21 Jul 2005 8:16 am: The idea is to show that the moon is made of cheese… Kinda easter egg thingy.

GMT

Sat, 16 Jul 2005 12:00:00 +0000

I cross the prime meridien almost every day. I live 0 degrees 5 minutes east of the prime meridien. I travel to Liverpool Street usually, which is 0 degrees 5 minutes west of the prime meridien. The station closest to the meridien, on my route, is Stratford, which stretches from 7 seconds to 17 seconds west of the meridien.

Of course, crossing the prime meridien has no time-zone related significance like the international date line. But it does mean that I travel to the western hemisphere and back every day.

There is a place near Stratford station called Meridien Square. Should visit it some time.

Comments

Shiva 19 Jul 2005 4:48 pm: Hey after a radar search i found this link http://www.bibliomania.com has a quite a large collection of Classic Fiction, Drama, Poetry, Short Stories and Contemporary Articles and Interviews. Quite an interesting site to bookmark

Google Maps UK

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Google Maps, UK. I’m thrilled!

Google sightseeing

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Google sightseeing. See the US through Google Maps satellite images.

Comments

S Anand 8 Apr 2005 11:00 am: Also check out the Googlemaps tag on Flickr
S Anand 8 Apr 2005 11:12 am: and the Memory maps

How Google Maps works

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 12:00:00 +0000

How Google Maps works: a look behind the Javascript of Google Maps.

Whereas GMail uses XMLHttp to make calls back to the server, Google Maps uses a hidden IFrame. The method has its benefits.

The push-pins and info-popups are a different matter. Simply placing them is no big trick; an absolutely-positioned transparent GIF does the trick nicely. The shadows, however, are a different matter. They are PNGs with 8-bit alpha channels.

The comments following the post as also quite a read.

Google Maps

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Google Maps. Only has the US for now. But that may change, given that

not to mention that google has been primarily focused on the u.s. market and is now turning their full attention to the global marketplace.

The interface, as always with Google, is fantastic. This is the way to go for Web applications.

via Google Blogoscoped.

Comments

m1108061928989 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Actually, google maps produced better routes too (more intuitive or just plain luck in my case ) but 2 consecutive routes cant be coincidence
S Anand 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Their database may be from Keyhole, whom they acquired recently. I didn’t see anything from India on it, though.
Sathish 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: This is an interesting way to comment..
TOPFRAME 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: their interface is pretty good.. but, I wonder if they could do the maps of India in the same manner..

Mumbai bus and train schedule

Tue, 04 May 2004 12:00:00 +0000

Mumbai Navigator from IITB tells you how to get from one place to another in Mumbai, using the local bus and train services. Also has maps. (Here’s the old Mumbai Navigator.)

Alphonso has the full Mumbai local train timetables as pictures.

If you’re looking for street maps, Google Maps has a pretty good street map of Mumbai. But it’s not as good as MapMyIndia, which gives you the driving route from Nariman Point to Bandra for instance.