The latest online mapping tools can do much more than get us from points A to B. With features such as data collection and media integration, online maps can be used in the classroom to take student activities in completely new directions.

Online maps can show us just about every corner of our world, but using New York-centric maps can make lessons more accessible to our students. When students connect to places they know, it creates instant familiarity and a stronger investment in the activity.

Mapping sites can be used across subject areas in the following ways:

• Math: Students can measure the distance between places or can calculate travel times.
• Science: Satellite and topographic imagery can introduce real-world scenarios.
• Reading: Locations can be plotted to re-create a character’s journey.
• Writing: Students can tell first-person stories by annotating important locations.
• Social studies: Mapping addresses state standards and can visually enrich geographic and demographic lessons.

Chart your own course using one of these local mapping sites:

Historical

NYCmaps Now & Then: See how New York has grown and changed over time by comparing aerial views of the city over a span of nearly a century.

OldNYC: This site displays a map view of the New York Public Library’s historic photo collection. Pinpoint a location in the city to see images of that area from as far back as 1800.

Mapping Historical New York: A Digital Atlas: This map elucidates late 19th- and 20th-century immigration and industrial changes in Manhattan and Brooklyn using census data.

Mapping Early New York (New Amsterdam History Center): Compare the 1660 version of New Amsterdam to modern downtown Manhattan. Drag a slider to see what has changed and, surprisingly, what has not.

Environmental

New York State Geologic Map: The American Museum of Natural History’s map depicts geologic aspects of the lower Hudson Valley, such as rock formations, land elevation and glacial remnants.

New York City Tree Map: See botanical information about trees managed by the city Parks Department.

NYC Climate Resilience Plan Mapper: Visualize climate resilience work in New York City done to mitigate storm surges, extreme rainfall and urban heat brought on by climate change.

The Welikia Project: Explore the natural ecology and landscape of Manhattan in 1609 based on research by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Demographic

NYC Population FactFinder: Detailed demographic information about New York expressed in map form, based on recent census data.

NYCityMap Explorer: This ultimate community map helps locate government offices, gardens, firehouses, hospitals, libraries, schools and more.

all text in NYC (Brooklyn): Enter any word or phrase, search Google Maps’ street-view images of Brooklyn and signage with that word or phrase will display.

An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods: The New York Times asked city residents to map and name their own neighborhoods. The results are a fascinating study of community and our ever-evolving city.