#30DayMapChallenge: 10 Minute Map

The clock was ticking, but creativity was flourishing. For Day 13, cartographers had just ten minutes to create a complete map, proving that powerful visualisations don't always require hours of work. Here are the top 5 entries that made every second count.

5. Tsvetomir Angelov – Daylight Simulation
Angelov demonstrated the power of accessible tools by creating a stunning daylight movement simulation in ArcGIS Online's Scene Viewer in under five minutes. The result shows how light and shadows transform a cityscape in real-time, proving complex simulations can be both quick and impactful.

#gis #cartography #30daymapchallenge #simulation #daylight #movement #quick #map #3d #shadows #sofia #bulgaria | Tsvetomir Angelov

Day 13. 10 minute map I decided to use the Scene Viewer in ArcGIS Online to demonstrate how quickly you can create a daylight movement simulation. This took no more than 5 minutes to produce. Just load a 3D topographic basemap, go to a specific location in your city and set the date and time of the day (in this case it’s today’s date), hit the “play” button and watch! It’s that easy. And the building shapes are accurate enough to represent reality. With such simulations you can see how cities change in the matter of minutes. Light moves, shadows stretch, and the familiar turns into something new. I would love to hear what kind of simulations have you done in the Scene Viewer that were part of your work! Feel free to share in the comments. #GIS #Cartography #30DayMapChallenge #Simulation #Daylight #Movement #Quick #Map #3D #Shadows #Sofia #Bulgaria

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4. Ginevra R. – Kea Bird Range
Ginevra used John Nelson's firefly cartography style to create an elegant species range map of New Zealand's clever Kea parrot in record time. The simple green glow against a dark basemap creates a striking visualisation that perfectly captures the essence of rapid, effective mapping.

3. Jason Yergeau – Haarlem Building Ages
Yergeau turned to familiar data and tools to map building ages in Haarlem, Netherlands. The result reveals the city's historical growth patterns radiating from the 15th-century St. Bavokerk church, demonstrating how constraint can lead to clarity in urban analysis.

2. Jyoti Singh – India Night Lights
Singh tackled geographic misinformation by recreating the famous "Diwali lights" map of India using actual nighttime lights data. Her work serves as both a beautiful visualisation and an important lesson in data literacy, showing how open data can quickly verify or debunk viral claims.

1. Charmyne – Topographic Postcards
My top pick combined technical efficiency with stunning design. Charmyne created a series of topographic postcards featuring islands like Jeju and Sicily, using contour lines to capture their unique landscapes. The elegant simplicity proves that sometimes the most beautiful maps are also the most straightforward to create.

These maps demonstrate that time constraints can spark incredible creativity and efficiency, pushing cartographers to focus on what truly matters in their visual storytelling.