With the Fall season upon us, arrives crisp autumn air, breezy afternoons and depending on the region in which you live, bright foliage worthy of countless views and pictures to sustain us in the colder months ahead. Seasonal travel, motivated by foliage viewing, is a big contributor to local economies and a deeply rooted tradition for many families. For some, exploring the countryside in autumn involves repeating visits to known locations, drawing comparisons from previous years and speculating on the factors, such as rainfall or the snap of cooler weather, that may have contributed to the final color outcome. Other travelers prefer to hike and surround themselves by nature in order to take in the colors and reflect on the passage of the season. In most cases driving, both as a means of accessing special locations or an end unto itself, is a familiar way to relax and enjoy the seasonal colors while staying in the comfort of your vehicle. In this article we will discuss how custom route maps can be created and developed as a platform to engage with the public while also encouraging user participation. These travel-related maps can be focused on a specific category or designed to include multiple options with the feature to filter for specific types of routes which meet specific needs. As with most mapping projects, the strength of the application is the ability to connect reliable data with an intuitive visual interface.
