Mappit is a web-based mapping platform that aggregates news and events from around the world and displays them on an interactive map.
What is Mappit?
Mappit is a web application that curates news stories and events by location, presenting them as clickable markers on a global map. Users can browse headlines from sources like The New York Times, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and local news outlets, each pinned to its geographic position. The platform runs in any modern web browser and is built on the Leaflet mapping library.
Key Features
- Interactive world map — Navigate a zoomable, pannable map powered by Leaflet with tile layers from Esri's World Street Map.
- Time-based news filtering — Filter stories by time period: All time, Today, This Week, This Month, Last 6 Months, Last Year, or a custom date range.
- Curated news markers — Each story appears as a clickable pin showing the title, source, time ago, and category (e.g., World & Conflict, Armed Conflict & War, Transit & Infrastructure).
- Open story links — Clicking a marker opens the full article on the original publisher's website in a new tab.
- Multi-source aggregation — Stories are pulled from major global and local news outlets, including AP, NYT, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and many others.
- Global and local coverage — Stories span international conflicts, weather events, cultural happenings, and municipal announcements across cities worldwide.
Who is it for?
- News readers — Get a geographic overview of breaking news and follow events region by region instead of by source.
- Journalists and researchers — Track the geographic spread of a story (e.g., military conflicts, natural disasters) over time using the time filter.
- Travelers — Quickly see what's happening in a destination area before or during a trip, including weather alerts, political events, and local celebrations.
- Curious explorers — Zoom into any part of the map to discover local news you might otherwise miss.
What can you do with Mappit?
- Track escalating conflicts — Follow US-Iran missile strikes by zooming into the Middle East; see markers from multiple sources on the same map.
- Monitor natural disasters — See earthquake aftermath in Japan, heatwave evacuations in France, and tornado shelters in Wisconsin all in one view.
- Plan travel around events — Check for festivals, road closures, or extreme weather in a city before you book.
- Compare coverage — Open the same event (e.g., strikes on Iran) from different news outlets to compare angles and sources.
