Now, I really don’t want to jinx it for us – but its seems as though the weather in London might have finally read the room. The sun has officially put its hat on, and across the city – if you listen carefully enough – you’ll be able to hear the collective sound of Londoners slapping on their Factor 50 and flocking it to their nearest outdoor space. But for those of us who have things to do this weekend, and can’t just spend the entirety of it lying horizontal in a park, fear not. I come bearing an extremely handy new map of London that’ll help you soak up every last ray of sunshine as you hotfoot it around the capital city.
The handy new map in question comes courtesy of the Sunseekr app. If you don’t already know about Sunseekr, I highly recommend that you immediately make yourself familiar with it. Created by sun-loving architect, Mo Dawod; the game-changing app tracks the city’s sunlight, revealing which of London’s beer gardens and al-fresco eateries are basking in the sunshine – in real time. But Dawod has now levelled up his groundbreaking app but adding a rather innovative new feature. Please allow me to introduce you to Sun Paths.
Sun Paths
The new feature on Sunseekr comes in the form of Sun Paths. Londoners can now map out their journey on the app to find the sunniest, the shadiest, and the shortest routes to take. Using shadow simulation, MapBox navigation software and OpenStreetMap data, the app does its extremely high tech thing to work out the position of the sun in real time. It then calculates the sunniest (and shadiest) ways to reach your destination.
The map is completely interactive and the time can be adjusted in order for you to plan your sun-drenched route in advance. You can also choose the level of sunniness you wish to bask in; from light, balanced, or sun-maxx. This really is the future, folks.
Taking to Instagram to reveal the new feature on the app, Mo Dawod said: “8 months ago I started building something I wasn’t sure was possible. Every morning I’d walk along the river to work and somehow end up in the shade the whole way, while the opposite bank was glowing. It drove me mad. I wondered if I could fix it. Sun Paths is the answer. A walking route planner that finds the sunniest way to anywhere in London.”
Find out more about Sun Paths and Sunseekr here.
