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AI · April 24, 2025

IM

I made an AI copilot for Maps that answers open-ended map questions

Hi HN, I made SmartMap — a tool where you ask an open-ended question on maps, like: - "Where can I find coworking cafes with power sockets and Wi-Fi in Shibuya, Tokyo?" - "Places that inspired Studio Ghibli movies in Japan" You can also ask it to plot interactive journeys, like: - "Places Alexandra David-Néel visited on her way to Lhasa" - "Train stops along the original Orient Express route" It returns a live, interactive map with the results plotted as pins. Originally built this to scratch my own itch while traveling and researching or learning about new places. SmartMap makes that step…

I made an AI copilot for Maps that answers open-ended map questions launched on April 24, 2025 with 10 votes, #3,208 of 7,818 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches.

In plain words

SmartMap is an AI-powered mapping tool that answers open-ended questions about locations and plots results as interactive pins on a map. Users can ask queries like finding coworking spaces with specific amenities or identifying places that inspired Studio Ghibli films, as well as request journey visualizations such as historical travel routes. The tool is designed for travelers and researchers who need instant location discovery. It requires no signup to use, though the creator acknowledges current limitations including occasional vague or duplicate results and is actively refining the underlying prompt system.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hi HN, I made SmartMap — a tool where you ask an open-ended question on maps, like: - "Where can I find coworking cafes with power sockets and Wi-Fi in Shibuya, Tokyo?" - "Places that inspired Studio Ghibli movies in Japan" You can also ask it to plot interactive journeys, like: - "Places Alexandra David-Néel visited…

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