Projects / Boundaries
Edinburgh, centred around Bruntsfield.
When a user geotags a photograph in Flickr, they are prompted to choose from a list of place names that match the photograph's location most accurately. For example, was it South Bank or Waterloo; Shoreditch or Haggerston? This technique is called reverse geocoding, and it's frankly, very difficult, as they explain.
Flickr understands that places are more than unique geographic identifiers; that they are mental models people use to identify with location. Moreover, they are fluid and opinionated, varying based on a number of parameters such as context, ambition and personal background. In true wisdom of the crowds style, Flickr use the combined selections of their thousands of photographers to compute the shape of these places.
Whilst no map can really attempt to convey 'place', Boundaries tries, using this data to give a rough idea. And whilst the shapes of places and neighbour results can be inaccurate, in areas of dense Flickr activity such as urban city centres, the results are often excellent.
I hope you have fun exploring it. Feel free to download the source code and make it better.