With this app you’ll never sit in the shade again

After the winter, one thing is in demand above all: sun. An Austrian programmer has developed a sun map so that you no longer have to sit in the shade. We explain how it works and what you can use it for.

It’s finally getting warmer in Germany and life is slowly taking place outside again. However, since summer is still in the starting blocks, the days are rather short. In order to find a sunny spot outside, you have to be quick – or know exactly where the sun is at what time.

Sun map: This app shows you where the sun is

“Where can I spend a few hours of sunshine in the street café this afternoon?” Or: “Where can I park my solar car in the sun in the near future?” Austrian Georg Molzer wanted to provide an answer to these questions and therefore developed the Shadowmaps app.

This is one interactive online mapwhich makes light and shadow visible around the world at any given point in time, taking into account 3D buildings, vegetation and terrain.

This is how shadow maps work

To find out exactly where and when the sun shines, users simply enter the relevant location in the search bar. You will then receive a 3D view of the location. You can also use a slider to set the desired time.

In this way, users can also see where which building or which tree is casting shadows at that precise moment and which corners the sun’s rays still reach.

Sun map helps with solar panel planning

This can not only be an advantage when looking for a sunny spot in a street café. For example, users can use the sun map to find a suitable parking space for their solar car. People looking for a new home can also control how much sun the property is actually getting.

The app can also be used for energy planning. Thanks to the 3D representation of surrounding buildings and areas, facades and balconies, solar panels can be aligned accordingly.

Since Georg Molzer is from Vienna himself, he first integrated the 3D building data and metadata of his hometown into his app via the Open Data Initiative. It now maps most of the world.

Sun map: This is how much the shadow map costs

In the free version, Shadowmap simulates shadows around the world at any time of the current day. In the payment version, users can also display the sun situation at any time in the past and in the future.

With the Pro version, users also get access to features such as satellite maps and sun vectors. In addition, the map can be rotated automatically for screenshots and videos in this variant.

The app is currently still under development. Therefore, some hedges and other gardens are not yet visible. However, this is set to change in the future.

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