Update: Coming for the iPhone: Old Map App

Update: Just got the good word that the app has been renamed Historic Earth and is now available. Further, it’s now a partnership with Historic Map Works, and accesses that organization’s “exclusive collection of more than 30,000 geo-referenced maps.”

[Marketing comment] Martin did his social media homework! His e-mail reminding me that I wrote about the app earlier was key in getting me to provide this update. A generic “we launched e-mail” may not have caught my attention.

—- original post June 25, 2009———-

There are a few reasons to look at the video of Old Map App. First off, it’s got some lovely old maps of New York (Library of Congress). Second, it shows of a nice interface that allows moving between different maps to look at the same area or moving from old map to modern street layout. Third, that modern street layout is from OpenStreetMap. And, finally, it uses something called Route-Me (open source code from Google for slippy maps on the iPhone) as its core technology. It’s just a demo now, you can sign up to be a beta tester or be notified when the app is available from the App Store.

via @TimOreilly