New York Times Taps Google Maps for Beautiful 9/11 Remembrance

  • Share
  • Read Later

“Where were you on 9/11?” It’s the fundamental question posed in this beautiful application of Google Maps’ API used by the New York Times.

Ostensibly, it’s a map of the world where users can drop a pin to indicate where they were when they heard about the attacks. Color-coded signifiers dotting the map are used to add weight and reflect what users were feeling: red for angry, orange for fearful, grey for unmoved, green for secure and blue for hopeful.

Together, it paints a stark remembrance of the day: Across the eastern United States you have equal smatterings of anger, fear and hope. Other places? Sometimes the sentiments are similar, sometimes not.

But all in all, the brushstrokes tell a story of what the world felt and how it reacted.

Head over to the New York Times to take a look and drop a pin. And while you’re at it, check out our special Beyond 9/11 section on TIME.com: It’s beautiful, interactive and—if you’re up for it—absolutely heartbreaking.

[via Google Maps Mania]

MORE: Weather Layers Added to Google Maps

Chris Gayomali is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @chrigz, on Facebook, or on Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.