🌈 Map dot colors

[dphiffer]

I wonder if we could mix up the colors in the map dots in the headers? There might be existing Mapzen palettes to work from, or maybe just pick some colors from dev.mapzen.com. Do we have colors defined in a style guide somewhere? Could the dot colors represent something interesting, based on what comes out of the API?

People who might be good to talk to about color schemes:

• Ekta
• Katie

[sdombkow]

These are the majority of the colors in the color guide. (I avoided the least saturated colors.)

[sdombkow]

My concern with having different dot colors, is that if we do that will users wonder what the different colors represent? If so, how will that be explained?

I also went through the places I am pulling in, the vast majority of them are coming from the venue level. If that's true, what would the colors represent, different tags?

[thisisaaronland]

We already have the notion of colour-coded dots, in couple places:

1. In the spelunker to denote whether something is a "geometry" centroid or "label" centroid - consider SF: https://whosonfirst.mapzen.com/spelunker/id/85922583/

2. The map in Boundary Issues will display a different coloured dot depending on whether the venue has been flagged mz:is_current=1 or 0 or -1 (green, orange and blue respectively I think)

There is also a near-term plan to develop a simple "centroid" editor to allow people to add multiple centroids for a place (think "main entrance" versus "delivery entrace") so having a think about colours now wouldn't hurt.

Related:

• https://github.com/whosonfirst/whosonfirst-www-spelunker/blob/master/www/static/javascript/mapzen.whosonfirst.leaflet.styles.js
• https://github.com/whosonfirst/whosonfirst-properties/blob/master/properties/mz.md#is_current
  • https://github.com/whosonfirst/whosonfirst-geometries#centroids

[sdombkow]

Here are some additional mockups with different colors. I tried to base the new colors on the existing color scheme.

[thisisaaronland]

Nice. I would suggest this:

• Touch base with @stepps00 and @dphiffer about the current list of known and in-use centroids, as well as the different "states" for a record – for example, is_current or superseded or deprecated and so on. Some of these will overlap so consider the rule(s) for precedence. Maybe some day we will do concentric circles for markers (and trust me I've thought about it ;-) but not today. Today, dots get one colour so the immediate question is: Which one?

• Choose some colours

• Touch base with Geraldine about the colour scheme and ask for her input. I am thinking specifically of if-whether-how we develop a per-tangram-style colour scheme for dots. For example a pale blue dot on Walkabout will be practically invisible.

• Touch base with Dan about how/where those colour palettes get on to the map, itself.

[dphiffer]

Hi, just jumping into the thread briefly to say I love that last batch of colors! I'm busily prepping for my workshop tomorrow, but I should come back up for air on Monday.

[thisisaaronland]

Cc @sensescape