Featured Map for 14 February 2010:
Paris for Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share my version from ten years ago. My then-girlfriend and I flew to Paris and she expected an engagement ring at the Eiffel Tower. That wouldn't have been much of a surprise, so I asked her on the flight from San Francisco, somewhever in the vicinity of Hudson Bay:

The map (click on it to see how it was generated) illustrates an assortment of map customization features in the new Great Circle Mapper site:

• The plain maps are often the right choice for conveying information but for sheer beauty the Blue Marble maps (based on NASA imagery; see the credits for details) can't be beat.
• Paths can now be wider than a single pixel. The Map Controls part of the map pages have numerous options, and under the Map Conf tab there are Width options for both paths and ranges. (Obviously width doesn't apply for shaded ranges.)
• Path endpoints are normally marked with 7-pixel diamonds but other symbols and sizes are available. Discs (filled circles) are used on this map.
• Path endpoints are normally labeled with whatever code you used, but many other possibilities exist. This map uses city names. (A few possibilities are listed in the menus; there are many more, all of which will be documented soon.)
• Solitary points can use markings which differ from path endpoints or midpoints. This map marks the approximate point where we got engaged with a large heart symbol.

Hopefully you'll find some of these features useful, whether you use them to plan (or commemorate) a romantic trip or for more mundane purposes. If there's a symbol which might be of general interest which you'd like me to add, let me know.