Building a little index of some of my maps over time today reminded me of one of my longest projects. Back in the mid-90s, I started designing a map (a moving map, oohhhh) of the changing boundaries of Habsburg territorial domains. I started with a series of HTML pages with maps generated by Adobe Illustrator. I then got the bright idea to actually turn it into something interactive by using Authorware. Turning it into a flash-based map was the eventual goal. To be honest, it never quite made it into a fully functioning flash map. The HTML was good, Authorware even better, but it has sat unrefined as I got distracted by other things.
Today, as I was browsing about I, came across Maps of War. They are featuring a map called ‘Imperial – History’ which is a beautiful work. There are a number of other wonderful maps, all of which are the moving map of my machinations. A small timeline scrolls across the bottom of the screen as the large, colourful map is panned about to show ‘who has controlled the Middle East’ from 3000 BCE to today. It is wonderfully executed, even letting you jump from date to date on the timeline. The changes in imperial territories are gradual and smooth. Brilliant execution.