Mapping Denmark via Minecraft

The Denmark government launched, last year, a project designed to offer the public free historical and current maps of the country. Now, it added a new, innovative approach to the mentioned program: creating a Minecraft map of Denmark.

Agency employees Thorbjørn Nielsen and Simon Kokkendorf realized that the free maps project could reach a greater and younger public than though traditional media if they adopted a more creative approach. Consequently, they decided to use the public’s appeal to gaming in drawing attention to geographical data.

By using the Minecraft platform, where players are able to build structures in a 3D rendered world and also move freely around the map, Nielsen and Kokkendorf recreated the whole map of Denmark in about two months.

Rather than building the country block by block, they used algorithms which converted already existing geodata to the Minecraft platform. The map is more detailed than one might think, including items such as fences, lampposts and wind turbines.

The map is not fully completed although government officials say that this is part of the map’s appeal as it offers users the possibility to insert their own construction. For example, one has built an exact Minecraft replica of the Kronborg Castle, or Hamlet’s Castle.

The Minecraft map of Denmark project has had great success with the public as it had been downloaded for over 200,000 times. It is also a standing testimony to what governments can achieve when they decide to add creativity into their projects.