Snapchat's Foray Into the Future of Maps

There’s a lot going on in the world that you won’t find in the day’s headlines. The Mall of Qatar is hosting a pirate-themed stage show in its central atrium. In Curtiba, Brazil, a group of medical students in white coats are joined in a choreographed dance by someone in a cow suit. In Cornwall, Canada, a small child is spinning nunchucks with incredible ease.

These were just a few of the scenes found on Snapchat’s newest feature, Snap Map, on a recent day in early August. Individually, the scenes aren’t so different from the feel-good, time-wasting content that saturates internet media. But taken together, they add up to an unusual set of spatial data—a collection of points on a map representing snippets of real life. In fact, Snap Map is the latest example of two of the most significant trends in modern cartography: mapping real-time events, and mapping subjective, emotional information.