About Citizen Mapmakers & Data Artists
Thanks to Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), it is no longer necessary to purchase software in order to develop and publish information-rich maps and other data visuals either in print or on the Web. This creates special opportunities for non-profits, resource poor groups and the just plain budget conscious. Citizen Mapmakers & Data Artists is committed to popularizing do-it-yourself SVG mapmaking and data visualization among Internet users generally and non-profits in particular. We also believe that SVG has great promise as an issue visualization tool for public interest advocates.

What is SVG?
Scaleable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a new Web graphics standards proposed by the World Wide Web Consortium -- the same people who brought us standards like HTML (HyperText Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Stylesheets) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) as well as, for better or worse, omnipresent acronyms like 'http" and 'www'. This non-proprietary language makes it possible for low-budget groups to leverage existing web development tools and expertise to create and publish highly interactive, information rich maps and visual displays. Public interest groups skilled with the use of standard web development tools like JavaScript and server-side databases are already well-equipped to hit the ground running with SVG and pioneer its use as an issue visualization tool. We plan to provide tutorials on how to get started with SVG issue visualization and mapmaking -- but there are already some great SVG resources on the Web. A few places to get started are noted at the link above. A more comprehensive listing in the works.

Free Downloadable CitizenMapmaker Utility Converts Census Files into SVG Maps
Without spending a penny, would you like to publish on your website a map of your state that includes up-to-date district boundaries for the U.S. Congress, the upper and lower chambers of your state legislature and the state's counties? Or, would you like to produce a map that includes the boundaries of local census tracts, school districts, and voting districts? All this and more is possible by downloading U.S. Census boundary files and processing them with our free CitizenMapmaker Utility.

The utility appears to work with all Microsoft operating systems. (Eventually, we hope to produce a cross-platform version). With this tool, we invite prospective SVG mapmakers to get started. Versions under development will make it easier to add interactive and informational components to the maps.

We will use the Utility in tutorials that help non-profits and public interest groups deploy such maps in their daily operations and advocacy campaigns. (See the Cancer Alley demo map below as an example of issue advocacy.)

Open Source Development Efforts for Citizen Mapmaker Utility Underway
The invitation we extended here earlier to developers to help write enhancements to the above Visual Basic utility has been accepted by one talented developer -- and, you will see, that such help makes a very big difference. The utility now can process attribute files -- assigning the appropriate political district numbers to path ids. Moreover, it can process layers -- creating, for example, Congressional and state legislative districts in a single file. There's even a nifty message area where you see the coordinates being processed and receive other helpful information.

While we've made important strides, we have even bigger and better ideas in mind. If you know VB and would like to pitch in, check out the code and Utility Development Goals and get in touch.

Demo: Putting Cancer Alley on the Map
For an idea of how SVG can be used for issue advocacy, check out our Louisiana map of industrial facilities required to report to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Included are layers for Congressional districts and State Senate districts along with contact information for representantives. An area with a concentration of TRI reporters visible in the southeastern portion of the state has become known as Cancer Alley due to exceptional health problems experienced by residents.