Satellite Masking

In responding to yesterday's tragic bomb attacks inwards Brussels the New York Times too the Washington Post convey both posted satellite maps of roughly of the locations which were most affected yesteryear the terrorist attacks.

Both newspapers convey opted to practice static maps from satellite images of the city. They convey also both used masking effects to highlight locations on the map. On the satellite images all areas, apart from the selected buildings, are masked - therefore that the featured buildings clearly stand upwards out on the maps.


It is possible to practice the same masking consequence alongside interactive maps. For instance you lot could purpose Vasile Cotovanu's polygon masking wizard Geomask to practice a like map alongside the Google Maps API. Using Geomask it took me close 5 minutes to create an instance map highlighting the European Commission Headquarters inwards Brussels.

This polygon masking consequence industrial plant especially good inwards Brussels because the metropolis has Google's 'birds eye' stance aerial imagery, which provides an oblique stance of buildings that you lot tin too then highlight on a map.

You tin practice a like consequence alongside Mapbox by inverting a polygon shape. If you lot prefer Leaflet maps you lot tin purpose the leaflet.maskcanvas plug-in.