IXmaps is an interactive tool that permits internet users to see the route(s) their data packets take across North America, with 'interesting' sites highlighted along the way.
IXmaps is currently under development. We welcome your feedback.
Click on the images above to take a brief tour of a sample traceroute, or scroll up to the Showcase Routes section of the menu bar to view a number of selected routes that reveal various interesting features of the North American internet backbone. For example, a group of chosen routes highlight where packets pass through suspected sites of NSA warrantless eavesdropping, while another group focuses on routes with both origins and destinations in Canada that pass through the United States.
In determining the geographical location of traceroute IP addresses, the IXmaps project team draws on GeoLite data provided by MaxMind, supplemented by a substantial amount of our own independent research. We have taken considerable effort to provide accurate data, but acknowledge that in this ever-changing field errors remain. For more information on this, please consult the technical page.