New website look and new Custom Services section

It's not all the way there yet, but much of our website now reflects our new look and feel.

In particular, our new custom services section includes a selected list of clients and sample projects.

Look for new changes soon including activation of our email notification list, a new look in the web store, and new easy-to use introduction pages like those for CollegeMaps.com and the Youth Sports Atlas.

Minnehaha Media

For years, we've known of mapping people want, but that just didn't fit our established formats or distribution network. So, we've created a division dedicated to seriously great mapping - for free. Sort of. Including ads makes these maps free... but unlike many other free maps (where the creator took anything they could find and called it a map), Minnehaha Media starts with the premise that if you create a great map with great content, the map will be used over and over and actually benefit the sponsors.

The first map in the series is a handy trails distance map to Minneapolis. Ideal content for runners & bikers, this map is also perfect due to its pocket size.

Plus, we're searching out advertisers that we know are cool places to visit - the kinds of places we frequent and we know the map users will appreciate. To learn more visit MinnehahaMedia.com.

College Sports maps by division: NCAA and NAIA

Four maps now make up this series so far (the JCAA is coming sometime in the next few months).

NCAA Member Schools - Divisions I, II, and III, which we announced in January, includes every member school of the NCAA (including candidate and probationary members), shown by primary division membership and primary conference affiliation. Available in three sizes: 39.5 x 27.125", 60 x 42", and 84 x 58". Snapshot at right.

NCAA Division I Member Schools includes all institutions in transition into or out of Division I. Two sizes: 36 x 27" and 54 x 40.5".

I hope you're seeing a pattern here, because it continues for our NCAA Division II Member Schools map and our NCAA Division III Member Schools map and our NAIA Member Schools map. All available in two sizes roughly comparable to those for the Division I map.

One of the most interesting parts of working on these maps was researching the transitional teams—those moving from one division to another. There's a long process: several years of auditing and preparation, then several years of probationary membership. Then finally you are officially able to play in championships in your new division. But what I found curious is that while the NCAA does a great job of providing membership lists, almost no one including the schools themselves wants to publish on the web what the target date of finishing the probationary period is. We ended up calling the athletic offices of all the transitional teams to get the information, and put it on the map.

Baseball Travel Map (and Wall Map) 2009 edition released

We're happy to announce release of the 2009 edition (the 11th or 12th... I've lost count) of the Baseball Travel Map. The map locates all the professional baseball teams in the US and Canada and the northern part of Mexico, with an index with contact information on the back. The map also locates every baseball-themed attraction, large or small, with contact information. Spring Training included. Retail $8.95.

Whether you're actually planning a baseball road trip, or just dreaming of one, it's a great tool. It's also, truth be told, a lot of fun to explore without a trip in mind. And there's something new every year... who know this would be the year when two teams would be named after Canadian fur traders?

Want this information for your wall? Consider the Baseball Wall Map, also updated (actually even more updated... there have been some shifts in the independent leagues since the Baseball Travel Map went to the printers). No attractions on this map, but in the "square" version you also get mini-maps of each league.

Play ball!