Learn maps, four minutes at a time

How a map writes down where something is, and how to put it back on the map.

• 1Read and plot coordinatesWhat latitude and longitude mean, the formats you will meet, and how to drop any pair on a map.4 min
• SoonFind the coordinates of any place
• SoonWhat3words, plus codes and other ways to share a spot

Distance, direction and area: the numbers people need most from a map.

• 2Distance and direction between two pointsWhy the shortest route looks curved on a map, and how to read a compass bearing.4 min
• 3Draw a radius and find what is insideCircles on a map: delivery zones, 'within 10 miles' and how area grows with the radius.4 min
• SoonMeasure the area of a field, roof or plot
• SoonWhy maps lie about size

How far a place is from the sea or the nearest frontier, and what those numbers mean.

• 4How far to the coast or a border?What a distance to the sea or the nearest border measures, and the traps in reading one.4 min
• SoonWhich country or state is a point in?
• SoonTime zones are not borders

Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML and friends: what they are and how to move between them.

• 5Map file formats, explainedShapefile, GeoJSON, KML, GPX: what each one is for and the traps when you convert.5 min
• SoonProjections and EPSG codes in plain English
• SoonOpen a file someone sent you

Turn a list of addresses or coordinates into points, distances and answers.

• SoonPut a spreadsheet of addresses on a map
• SoonAdd a distance column to every row
• SoonTag every row with its county or region

The questions GIS answers: what is inside, what is near, what is clustered.

• SoonCount points inside each area
• SoonFind the nearest store to every customer
• SoonSpot clusters on a map

Borders, oceans, antipodes and time zones, for curious minds and classrooms.

• SoonCountries that border the most neighbours
• SoonThe five oceans and their seas
• SoonAntipodes: the other side of the world