Here is a very cool project which combines high-tech (digital cameras and online georeferencing software) with low-tech (a helium balloon) to create grass-roots maps.

Balloon mapping is sending a camera up on a balloon, snapping photos, and stitching them into a map. Over the past 18 months, we’ve build a global community of mappers who use balloons and kites to take aerial photos, and our browser application MapKnitter to stitch them together.

Here’s a good post on the user-experience and user-centric design which went into Google Maps, and how they standardised their maps across the world.

What a year!

What amazing gatherings of geo minded people and rabble rousing across the country.

• 29 Presentations
• 4 Sydney GeoRabbles
• 1 Perth GeoRabble
• 1 Melbourne GeoRabble
• Over 420 people have come along and connected

When GeoRabble started it was a simple idea that more could be done to give voice to everyday users and uses of geo, to inspire, connect, share and have fun.

Little did we know so many of you felt the same.

It has been so much fun meeting so many new geo folks and reconnecting with friends in the community.

So, before the year is out we just wanted to send out a massive thank you to everyone of our presenters, attendees and sponsors for making GeoRabble what it has become, the fastest growing, community lead, geo event in Australia.

We hope you all have great Christmas celebrations with friends and family and may the New Year be better and bigger for all your geo endeavours.

Watch out for more GeoRabble events across the country in the New Year and hopefully a new City or two.

Here’s to more rabble rousing in the New Year.

The GeoRabble Crew