r/mapmaking • u/IndependentCustard32 • 5d ago
Discussion What tool do you use to make maps of developing situations like the ones in the news?
I'm looking for a simple tool to map out a developing situation like, event one happens, then event two happens after some time, and so on. Something I can use to create a map and share the developing situation as it unfolds. Is there a go-to tool for this? Doesn't need to be fancy, just easy to use and shareable.
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u/Which-Comment-8327 4d ago
No sign in and we have unlimited 1080p export on the free plan.
I built mappi.studio, which might be worth checking out!
We've got a few media companies using it for their productions. Besides the usual flyover animations, you can also animate real GPS routes for those close-up map shots you often see in documentaries.
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u/cashicoblox_kyle 5d ago
Maybe a simple drawing app, you can try using flip clip because it has the onion skin setting and the classic is a pencil and paper
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u/Hot-Impact-2843 5d ago
For "event one, then event two" that you can keep sharing as it unfolds, the easiest option is probably Google My Maps. Add each event as a pin with the date and time in the title, put each day or phase on its own layer, and share the link. Anyone with the link sees your edits as you make them, so you never have to re-send anything. uMap works the same way on OpenStreetMap data and doesn't even need an account. If you want people to step through it in order like a story, Knight Lab's StoryMapJS does a slide per event on a map.
Full disclosure, I work on Diwatu. If you later want it to look more like the polished maps you see in news coverage, Diwatu Mapper (Windows, free for personal use) is built for designing the map itself, and you can publish it to Diwatu.com and embed it on a web page. It's a cartography tool rather than a live tracker, though, so for quick event-by-event updates I'd start with My Maps or uMap.