[EHPweb] NextGen EQMaps Beta

[Lisa A Wald]

Everyone-

Thank you for your feedback, comments, and suggestions about the Next Generation Earthquake Maps for the EHP website.

The Web Team has compiled the various comments, weighted them according to how many times we received the same comment, and we are currently addressing all the comments starting with those with the highest priority.

Because of Google licensing issues with our high web traffic to the EQ Maps, we are having to move to another client-side software, OpenLayers API.  I think you'll agree that OpenLayers is every bit as good, if not better, than Google Maps (and it doesn't preclude us from using Google Maps API in the future if the licensing issue is resolved).

These are some of the tasks we're working on to address your concerns before the Public Beta is launched in January:

1. Remove clustering algorithm, or allow user to turn it on and off; add cluster symbol to map key.
2. Add links to event pages from event table below map; turn off dbl-click on event symbol on map.
3. Implement full-page-size map.
4. Add magnitude to hover text.
5. Change labeling from "Event" to "Earthquake".
6. Add user guide for features that are not intuitively obvious.
7. Use our own basemaps, cities, list, etc instead of the build-in data provided by Google Maps.
8. Other small changes such as scale bar, lat/lon of mouse position.

Additional features, such as faults with mouse-over info, volcano locations, caldera boundaries, etc. will be added in the future, potentially before the final public release.  We'll have a mechanism in place to receive comments on the next beta version too.

Thanks for helping to make this an outstanding product!
- Lisa
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Lisa Wald, Geophysicist
Web Team Manager/Project Manager
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
Golden, CO
303-273-8543
lisa at usgs.gov
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