Where have I been?

[kp]

It might be interesting to see a map that represents where I have and have not been. This could be accomplished by taking a standard regional or proximity map and changing the color of the map pin for places that I have rated. Maybe even add a toggle to show/hide rated/unrated places.

The usability of this feature for me would be to show regions where there are a lot of new brewpubs for me to visit and help me plan where to go next.

A very nice side effect is that it would encourage people such as myself to put in more place ratings.

[NicerInPerson]

You've been here http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://beermapping.com/maps/reviews/usermap.php?u=28
 

[beerinator]

The link that NicerInPerson linked is available from your review page or from the little "map" icon under your avatar in the forums.

Click this to see your review page:
http://beermapping.com/maps/reviews/reviewlist.php

This review page is linked from your profile or from any review you enter into the site (also the little icon to the left of the map under your avatar).

[BahHumBrew]

I think what KP is asking for is a way to eliminate locations a registered user has visited from a map of a given area.  Either a proximity map or a city map would probably work but just looking at a map that shows all the places I've reviewed doesn't quite do it.  For me, due to google limitations, many of my reviewed locations are not visible initially of the national map that is displayed.  Even if I zoom into a specific area or city, the map still only displays the location I've visited, not those locations I might want to visit on an upcoming trip; the ones that I haven't been to before.  Having a way to do that would be a big help.

Maybe it would also be good to have a way to show only those locations have reviews (or don't have reviews) on the map.  That way if you are interested visiting new places so that you can add to the database, they are easy to find. Or if you are interested in visiting places that others have rated high, you could separate those out more easily.  I agree with KP that this would be a good way to encourage existing users to enter more reviews of the places they visit.

[kp]

Right, what I'm really looking to see is a map of places (brewpubs specifically) I have not yet visited.

[beerinator]

So, the opposite of that map that NicerInPerson posted, except regionalized or something?

[kp]

Pretty much. It would basically be a travel aid where I could scan the country looking for a concentration of unvisited brewpubs to find an area where I need to go visit and eliminate as many blue pins as possible on one trip. The goal would be to eventually show an empty US map with no blue brewpub pins at all.

As enhancements you could add toggling of different types of places or show both visited and unvisited places on the same map but maybe with different colored pins.

[BahHumBrew]

As enhancements you could add toggling of different types of places or show both visited and unvisited places on the same map but maybe with different colored pins.

This would be interesting.  Maybe it would be possible to modify the existing map legend to provide a toggle that would "Mark Locations I've visited".  Instead of removing the visited locations, the symbol could be changed to one with an x or dot in it.  That way, it should still be possible to toggle particular location types off entirely while showing visited and unvisited locations for the remaining types. 

[kp]

This enhancement would also have the side effect of showing what's new as you could turn off viewing places you've rated thus showing only new places that you need to visit.

 

[beerinator]

Ok, I have made adjustments to the city maps to make this possible.

I have not turned it on for regular users yet so you have to manually change the urls to make it work.

The change in the url is adding a "t" variable that should only be equal to a 1 or a 2.

The following are examples of how the urls work:
beermapping.com/maps/citymaps.php?m=chicago&t=1 (this will only show the places you HAVE reviewed for a city map)

beermapping.com/maps/citymaps.php?m=chicago&t=2 (this will only show the places you HAVE NOT reviewed for a city map)

By the way, doing this has been rather depressing, because it has shown me that there are still almost 200 locations on the Chicago map that I haven't reviewed...   

Eventually I will add links so you can toggle from one mode to the other, but all of the map blocks are so cramped as it is, it is going to be a challenge to find room.

[BahHumBrew]

By the way, doing this has been rather depressing, because it has shown me that there are still almost 200 locations on the Chicago map that I haven't reviewed...   

It works well for me on the renotahoe and sanfran maps.  What I see is the number of nearby beer stores I've visited but not yet taken the time to review.  I need to come up with a basic format to use on chain stores such as the BevMos and Whole Earth markets. That way I can complete the review writeup with just a few site specific modifications.

[kp]

Excellent. Now I need to see how many blue map pins I can make disappear.

[BeerSox]

Wow!! After using that feature I realized how many places I've never been! And I have to tackle two cities (not just one, looking at you Beerinator!).

Good idea kp.

[BahHumBrew]

The change in the url is adding a "t" variable that should only be equal to a 1 or a 2.

Darn.  I have a hard time remembering how to do this. 

Eventually I will add links so you can toggle from one mode to the other

That would help a lot...

[BeerSox]

I know there is a full brewery/brewpub map for the U.S. (I don't remember the name though or if it's available on the pages with the other maps), but is there a U.S. map that shows every location in the database (except ones that are closed)? If so, it would be cool to see the t=1 option on the entire map (t=2 wouldn't be recommended).

I think this can be accomplished with the "reviewed locations" in the user profile, but the regular maps are prettier.