Who else doing map stories like this?

Through my participation in the weekly ChiHackNight meetings that take place at Chicago's Merchandise Mart every Tuesday evening I've met a lot of people doing interesting things with technology.  One is Steven Vance who heads the ChicagoCityscape site which focuses on making Chicago neighborhood property, construction and development data accessible to everyone.

Steve posted a series of Tweets today, using maps to focus on four Chicago schools.

The #1 public elementary school is Skinner West, in the West Loop/Near West Side. It is Selective Enrollment, but also has this attendance boundary. pic.twitter.com/d5jlNBs7nC

— Chicago Cityscape (@ChiBuildings) November 13, 2017

here's another

The next public elementary school is Wildwood in Forest Glen (far northwest side).

Map of attendance boundary: https://t.co/dnrx4DUJM5 pic.twitter.com/56UMiJeX59

— Chicago Cityscape (@ChiBuildings) November 13, 2017

here's another

The next best public elementary school, at #3, is Blaine in Lake View.

Map of attendance boundary: https://t.co/YOwON9mfCY pic.twitter.com/eIm3xzjlT7

— Chicago Cityscape (@ChiBuildings) November 13, 2017

and here's the fourth

I'm now going to skip to the the ninth best public elementary school: Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Paideia Community Academy, in South Shore.

Attendance boundary map: https://t.co/WpnNxuSXJp pic.twitter.com/NU1y01g45U

— Chicago Cityscape (@ChiBuildings) November 13, 2017

This interests me because I've been using maps of Chicago neighborhoods since 1994 to focus attention on places where non-school tutor/mentor programs are most needed, based on poverty, poorly performing schools, etc.. My goal is to draw support to any non-school tutor and/or mentor programs that may be in the neighborhoods I point to, or to inspire local leaders, business, philanthropy, etc.  to create new programs where more are needed.

Below is one of the map stories the Tutor/Mentor Connection created in the 1990s.

Browse articles on this blog written between 2008 and 2011 and you'll find many more stories like this, created when we had funds to hire a part time GIS specialist.  Browse stories on the Tutor/Mentor blog, written since 2008, and you'll see maps made using an interactive program locator created in 2008-09.  

Steve focuses on a different issue than I do, and uses more updated mapping technologies, and demonstrates how maps can be used to focus on neighborhoods and draw attention to information people can use to better understand problems and opportunities in Chicago. I encourage you to browse his web site to see the many map views he has created.

I've not had help updating my maps, or telling map stories, since 2011, so I write articles like this with the goal of locating others already doing map stories, so I can point to their examples, encourage more people to use maps in planning support for social sector organizations, and so I can attract others to help me with the type of stories I focus on.

Interested?  Let's connect. I'm on Twitter at @tutormentorteamhttp://www.twitter.com/tutormentorteam

12-18-2018 update - Here's a MapStrategies blog that Steve Vance hosts.