My Google Maps = My Kiva Entrepreneurs

[Guest]

.

[Ramón]

@Qwiksilver,

I don't think that is a real issue:
- the borrowers already have their names changed and faces obscured
- their loans are already listed publicly on Kiva.org, and you can use Google to locate them quite easily
- Since we don't know the exact location, you can't do any better than putting the loan in the center of Kirkuk, or wherever the business is located. My Guayaquil loans (that Pondering Pig commented on) are randomly distributed over town, as I have no clue where the businesses actually are

So all in all, I think it's pretty harmless.

@Cdcart -- I always link to the satellite maps. They may not zoom well all the way to street level, but they're a lot better than street maps

--Ramón

[qwiksilver]

@Qwiksilver,

I don't think that is a real issue:
- the borrowers already have their names changed and faces obscured
- their loans are already listed publicly on Kiva.org, and you can use Google to locate them quite easily
- Since we don't know the exact location, you can't do any better than putting the loan in the center of Kirkuk, or wherever the business is located. My Guayaquil loans (that Pondering Pig commented on) are randomly distributed over town, as I have no clue where the businesses actually are


--Ramón

That's a bit more comforting.  I got a friend harrassed by sending her a birthday card.  She lives in Baghdad and we had been co-workers while she attended UCLA. 

You know the world has gone mad when you can't even send an innocent birthday wish.    

I'll create my own map...but it's gonna be pretty thin.  I can't afford too many people right now.  (The gods are conspiring to test my patience with severe blows to my finances.  But like gas, this too will pass.)

[Henry]

I did it!
Made my map.  Was easier than I thought.  Lot of cut and paste.  But the links stayed with the cut and paste. 

Take a peek:  http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100711882547735821652.000001131197315a37272&ll=6.574849,-34.255198&spn=167.652432,360&z=1&om=1

ok, i admit, some places i just had to guess where to put the tack.

[Ramón]

Cool, very cool...

Thanks, Henry!

--Ramón

[miGIRLS]

I love the Google Map!! My daughter, the Geography Bee champ a couple years ago, was talking about putting the world map in the hall and instead of where we'd been, we'd put where our money is/was (with Kiva).

The map looks like a lot of work. Very interesting. Maybe we can get an automated Google map on Kiva some day for lenders. I won't bother suggesting that ... they have enough suggestions for now.

KLA

[Ramón]

Maybe we should start a KivaWiki entry with a list of Kiva maps? I have several older ones listed at my blog, but I haven't kept that list up to date...

Ramon

[Christopher]

start a KivaWiki entry with a list of Kiva maps

That sounds like a great idea, it could be in the Lists Category - perhaps RichardF could assist and allow us to create and update the list.  I am more than happy to help keep it current.

Just updated my map to use different placemarks etc, and on the same page I have a gallery of Entrepreneurs.

[RichardF]

If you all can point me to a few more examples, I'll get the list started. 

[Diane R]

From what I can tell, it is a pretty manually intensive process to create these maps, correct? So if one has a, ahem, larger number of loans (a.k.a. truly addicted), it would be kind of onerous to put one together, I suspect. Could someone correct me if I'm wrong, please?

There might be a (limited) market here for a tool that could take the loan listing and turn it into a marker on a Google Map, eh? 

--Diane.

EDIT: adding a few photos for in-line linking at a much much later date (like, Sept 2009)... please ignore.

[Christopher]

Great, thanks RichardF,

As well as those listed on Ramón's blog

I have also spotted the following while exploring the Kiva world and added to my favourites list...
http://www.whineandcheese.net/kiva/

These are most interesting as it plots open loans
http://mapufacture.com/maps/146
http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=AjnnIana2xG7EedQYEsBXw