‘Map of the Dead’ tailors Google Maps for zombie apocalypse survival

Assuming you still have the internet after the dead have begun to walk the earth, you’ll want to avoid wasting time by searching for hospitals, gas stations, and gun stores one by one. Fortunately, Map of the Dead has got your back — it’s a Google Maps overlay that highlights population-dense “hot zones,” cemeteries and other places to avoid, and the best locations to scavenge supplies. In zombie-infested Chinatown, for example, you can nip over to Manhattan Bridge Orthodontics for a quick retainer adjustment, then seek shelter at the nearby Naval Recruiting Center. There’s also a gun store, which we suppose some people might find useful.

Of course, if you really want to be prepared, it helps to know what zombie ruleset the team is working with. Based on the description of cemeteries as possibly “crawling with the undead,” it looks like it’s built for Romero or Russo ghouls, both well known for rising from the grave. The weapon guides, however, seem to focus more on general-purpose defense than on pure brain destruction, suggesting a voodoo or disease interpretation. The map was released yesterday by designers from advertising agency Doejo, so it’s likely the team is trying to build a sort of universal version that can be quickly tweaked as the need arises. The map will work in any location that supports Google Places.