A fun collection of links that give us a peak into what’s really going on in the world, with a bias towards the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s amazing what is hooked up to the WWW these days.
If you have a suggestion for this page, please email it to craig (at) zarmer.com.
General
Google Maps mash-ups: lots of data, some real-time, some not, has been mashed-up w/ Google Maps – here’s a list.
Aviation
Flight tracking: There are several, this is my current favorite: http://flightaware.com/ You can track flights, or just watch what’s going on near a specific airport. Another option is SFO’s tracker, intended for noise complaints.
FAA data on airport status: www.fly.faa.gov
Runway finder: A Google Maps mashup showing weather conditions by airport.
Fire Department Responses
FireDispatch shows the real-time status of all incidents in the City of Palo Alto, and the entire San Mateo County fire departments.
Highway Incidents
CHP: There are lots of traffic websites, but the CHP has a page to monitor actual incidents.
Mass Transit
San Francisco: MUNI: Find out when the next MUNI train will arrive at a given station here.
Here’s realtime data on the market street subway portion of Muni.
Shipping
Bay Area: You can track major ships in the SF bay area.
Spaceflight
Track the current location of the international space station.
Water
The California Department of Water Resources has a lot of data, some real-time. Here’s some sort of precipitation monitor in Palo Alto.
The USGS also has water data in real time.