The Mokpo Maps post dealt with the local Mokpo area and its culmination of all geographical knowledge, the tourist map. But there's another level beyond the cartoon amusement park guide to Mokpo and that level is on the Internet.
English Korean Maps
The main players in North America tend to ignore South Korea and treat it like a separate entity. Consider the difference between yahoo.com and yahoo.co.kr and the incompatibilities between the two sites that share the same name. I can't find a solid answer why there is a split, just some unanswered questions and tiny hints in blogs and newsgroups. SundoSoft, Congnamul and Cybermap are the main map data companies in South Korea (for the curious: yahoo.co.kr gets its data from Congnamul while SundoSoft's data is used by Naver.com) and there appears to be some problem integrating their data into the North American systems.
While we wait for global map unification (or the Korean map upgrade), computer geeks are working on their own solutions. And by solutions I mean experiments that are part of a larger geekness, the map mashup; a quick search gives us these two examples:
Korean Korean Maps
Now, if you're willing to give up the crutch of English and use what the Koreans use, then there's an better alternative to the experimental sites. The Korean front runners are Naver and Congnamul but there's also Cyworld, Maptopia (that keeps on trying to install a plug-in every time I visit it) and the slightly biased map system at Tour2Korea. Both Naver and Congnamul provide most of the same functionality as Google but they're made by Koreans, for Koreans which means you'll have to learn Korean or fumble some use out of them.
Take the Naver map system; at first click, it'll detect your Internet provider and place you in a close enough location. The only search box should be in the top left and you can feed it one of two things:
- Korean Trade Name
- Korean Street Address
- 전남제일고등학교
- 전라남도 목포시 용당동 937-1 번지
Sharing Korean Maps
Let's say I found this really great restaurant in Seoul, but it's hidden off of the side streets and all you have is a smudged cross on a napkin. If you're not careful you'll end up wandering around until you find the courage and mime gestures to ask where is this place. And if you're lucky you'll only have to mime once.
How would that scenario work with the map systems? From the restaurant's website you know the street address is:
서올시 종로구 창신동 148-1So you plug that into both and find out that Naver refuses to budge. But Congnamul saves the day suggest a different spelling:
서울 종로구 창신동 148-1With the correction, both sites show me the proper location and both render my napkin somewhat obsolete with their quick print options. But what about mailing this map to our friends? That involves something different; something called the the link to map function.
The Link To Map function
Link to Map translates what ever you are viewing on your screen into a url that can be easily shared amongst friends. And sadly enough Naver does not support this function and I do not understand why. This features is a staple of any North American web map. Sharing a map via url is important since it:
- Stops the abuse of large image attachment in e-mails.
- Allows maps to be shared over non e-mail Internet communication, like instant messaging forum postings, etc.
- Provides a more robust map than those little maps on the back of the business cards.
- You enter your address and click the 검색 (Search) button.
- Congnamul finds your spot and marks it with a big red arrow.
- Click on the URL링크 (URL Link) button.
- Congnamul launches a pop-up saying something to the effect of "Please click anywhere on the map."
- Dismiss the pop-up and move the click somewhere near your arrow. Note: If you're to close to the arrow the mouse cursor will be an arrow and won't register the location; start moving the cursor away until it turns into the hand, and then click.
- Congnamul launches a pop-up displaying the url link.
Nerd Stuff
All map systems create their maps dynamically via various a arguments into a function. Congnamul's URL링크 function from above is quite straight forward and has two arguments:
http://www.congnamul.com/urlLink.jsp?x=502582&y=1130633and if you really want to play around here's an url from Congnamul's mailing a map function; it has more parameters to tweak and is only presented for the super keen.
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