Our guest post today was written by Andreas Forstmaier. Andreas developed the travel blog isTraveling.org using the ArcGIS API for JavaScript between his high school graduation and university studies.
When I took a year off after my high school graduation in 2012 to travel the world, I wanted to somehow document my experiences and at the same time share them promptly with my relatives and friends at home. That’s why I decided to write a travel blog. There were already several blogging platforms available, but I missed the "where" in all of them. I wanted a blog that showed where I had been and where I currently was. To display this clearly, I needed a map. Since I couldn’t find an existing blog on the internet that met my expectations, I programmed my own blogging system. This is how the project isTraveling.org came about.
A crucial question for me during implementation was about the technology. I chose the ArcGIS API for JavaScript for two reasons: firstly, because of what I consider a developer-friendly licensing model, and secondly, because of the large selection of basemaps.
The Blog Platform
The focus of the new blog platform is on the map, where the travel route is displayed as a line connecting the individual stops. By clicking on each stop, you can read the associated entries and navigate through the blog.
An intuitive user interface helps users create their travel blogs. Registered users can place a marker on a map for every place they have visited and thus record their travel route. Entered place names are automatically converted into position data in the background and marked on the map. Images and texts can be added to each marked location.
Anyone who owns an internet-enabled smartphone or tablet can also use the mobile web application to fill their blog with new images or texts while on the go. Additionally, blog entries can be exported as web maps to ArcGIS Online to share them with other users there and to add further content.
How does isTraveling.org work?
After signing up, you start with an almost empty map. To gradually fill it with content, click on Add New Place. Now you can either add a place by clicking on the desired spot on the map or simply type a place name into the title field. This will then be converted into position data, georeferenced, and automatically marked on the map.
If you want to supplement your entry with images, you can open the upload manager by clicking Upload Images and select and upload your desired images there.
Once your blog entry is finished, a click on Save is enough to add the new place to the map. This way your travel route grows more and more and your blog fills up. An example of what such a finished blog can look like can be found here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j8r4td61tY
If you also like to travel and want to quickly and easily present your experiences on the internet, sign up now and try out the site. I look forward to your feedback on IsTraveling.org!
Andreas Forstmaier
Student at TU Munich
AndreasForstmaier@gmx.de
isTraveling.org
