Permission was granted to me by the kind folks at the Germany-based Shadowrun website http://www.1w6.de/rpg/sr/ to appropriate the information contained in their Google map. Apparently most of the locations displayed are from SR1. My plan is to make this map as updated as possible for SR4 gaming, and accessible to the community at large.

Because they used custom tiles to create the map on their site, street-level zooming is impossible, making navigation through most locations difficult at best. I've managed to overcome this by taking those locations and plugging them into the original Google map, as seen here:

http://shadowrun.chinagreenelvis.com/map

Adding new locations is as easy as knowing what the global coordinates should be. Removing locations that no longer exist or editing/amending the information for them is even easier.

The next step is to add neighborhood security codes, as seen in the original, as well as borders. I'd like to avoid using custom tiles in order to remain consistent with Google's map. (Doing so also allows us to place locations in other parts of the world instead of being limited only to Seattle.) If anyone would like to take a stab at this, everything you need to upload the map to your own server can be downloaded here:

http://shadowrun.chinagreenelvis.com/map/map.zip

You will need to generate a V2 Google API key. (I was forced to stick with the depreciated version in order to avoid rewriting the code for the existing dots.) Just replace the first Javascript link in index.html with the one that Google generates for you. You can obtain a key from here:

http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documenta.../javascript/v2/

Additionally, feel free to attempt to convert the existing code into a version 3 map.

It was also suggested by simplexio that we start a Wiki for locations in the Seattle area which would include latitude and longitude coordinates as well as other information. If anyone wants to take the initiative, go right ahead because it's a great idea. And would be a great way to organize the information that needs to be added to the maps.

To Do List:

*Image overlays for the Renraku and Aztechnology buildings
*Borders
*Security codes for neighborhoods
*Seattle 2072 districts and locations
*HTML listing of all locations, linked to center the map on each location when clicked
*Quick coordinates generated for map center (toggled) to make adding new locations easier
*PC and NPC dot placement function

Revision History

7/13/2010
*New icons; distinctions made between shopping malls and recreational facilities, bars and restaurants

Ah, good, so they answered you too ^^
Seems they don't mind if someone takes their map and uses it to try and make one that can zoom in further.

I will download this and take a looksie.

Is there a way that this can function similar to the actual googlemaps interface with layers that can be turned on and off? Canon sites. Borders. Gangs. Non-canon sites (my custom stuffs!). That kind of thing. I have a googlemaps overlay with a few sites on it that I use in games that I run...

There is also a public Boundaries and Locations, an awesome Detailed Downtown map that keeps the clutter down. Finally, there is the Dumpshock locations map, the Näkymiä Reunalta - the inspiration for my own sites.

There is a lot of work already done that you can either re-use or base your own stuff off of. Really, I just want to be able to upload my own locations to an overlay to put over top of canon locations.

I hear you, and that's exactly what I want to be able to do with this one myself without fear of confusing custom locations with ones that can be verified by rulebooks.

I also want the ability to toggle icons based on type, if nothing more than to remove the clutter that is created upon zooming out. I'm sure this is an easy addition, it will just require me looking through the API guide in order to figure out how.

Thanks for those links, too. Just a heads up, the .zip file is not up to date with the map. I can fix that if you want. Right now it's just a straight port of the German version.

There is one thing about this map that jumps out at me immediately - the ACHE and the Azzie Pyramid are nowhere near as large as they should be. Last I checked, the ACHE takes up the space that Qwest Field sits on in real life, and the Azzies have a complex that covers all the ground between Mercer to John Streets, and Broadway to 15th Ave E. The main entrance to the complex is at Broadway and East Harrison, and the actual Pyramid is 11th to 13th ave, Republican to Thomas street. (just eyeballing that last one)

Needless to say, I would love to help out with this project.

Ah, good call. I forgot to include that in the "to do" list, but this will also be done. Most maps just have a "shape" square over the area, but I'm hoping to use an actual image to overlay the portions that have those constructs.

I'll include any work you contribute!

I'm wondering if there is a way to use the Google Earth/Maps API to make something like the rptools MapTool? Basically I'm thinking of a new GUI for the globe and maps that also allows for chat, voice, a dice roller, and a few other things.

I do not know how easily such a project as this could port over to / make use of the Google MapLib project...

http://www.maplib.net/

But it is worth checking out.

Really nice...there was another one out there a while back (not even the one you have) that used overlays for certain things to show how the landscape changed. One big thing is that you're not showing just how friggin' MASSIVE the Arcology is.

Take a square...the upper-right point is at I5 and James St. The lower right point is where 4th Avenue would hit King Street (if Qwest Park weren't in the way). The upper left point is Seneca St and Alaskan Way. The lower left point is out over the friggin' water. THAT'S how big the thing is.

Want to visualize it for yourself? Zoom on that map to the 5th largest zoom (zoom in all the way and then zoom out 4 times). Take a standard playing card (poker, M:TG, whatever) and place it sideways so that the top right corner is hitting the intersection of 5th and James St. It's actually just a bit bigger than THAT.

Oh, and it's almost a full kilometer tall. Check out the Renraku Archology Shutdown book, page 11 for a great picture to give you an idea how much this new structure just dominates downtown.