FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an amazing organization, and I have been volunteering and/or working for them since 2002.  Since FLL is such an incredible thing - when people see it, they want to know how to get involved.  The question I was asked most was, “are there any teams in my area?” Unfortunately, there was no easy way to gleen this information from the registration database.  As such, I created a Google Maps mashup with the national FLL registration data.

The map exibits 5 pieces of information from the registration database - Team Number, Coach Name, Coach Email, Rookie Status, and Zip Code.  By cross referencing the zip codes with a table that matched zips to longitude and latitude, I was able to put a pin on the map in the right spot.  When more than on team shared a zip code, I grouped them into the same pin, and changed the color (blueish pins have a few teams, reddish pins have many).  When a pin is clicked, a balloon appears, providing detailed information about the team in that zip code.

This map ended up being incredibly useful for matching interested people with teams in their area.  A process that once took several minutes could now be accomplished in several seconds.  This mashup also made it possible to create an accurate map of all the teams in the United States - something that before, could only be imagined.