Power of Data Visualization

Real Time Wind Map

2012-04-02T13:42:13Z

An invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future.

This map shows you the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US.

via hint.fm/wind

Long Way Down: Mariana Trench

2012-04-01T11:16:41Z

Seven miles is a long way down... more than a mile deeper than Mt. Everest is up. To reach the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, James Cameron will descend past some pretty amazing milestones. Here's a glimpse.

7 Billion: How Did We Get So Big So Fast?

2011-11-04T13:21:43Z

It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population, especially in the West.

As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down, though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

U.N. forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population of 15 billion by the end of the century.

Produced by Adam Cole
Cinematography by Maggie Starbard

IBM's Think Exhibit Applies 100 Years of Innovation to the Future

2011-09-26T10:44:27Z

IBM's THINK Exhibit opened this weekend in New York at Lincoln Center. Featuring live data visualization, a first-of-a-kind immersive film across 40 screens and giant interactive stations, the exhibit explores how we can make the world work better.

The Reckoning: America and the World a Decade After 9/11

2011-09-11T07:27:44Z

The New York Times’s special report on the decade’s costs and consequences, measured in thousands of lives, trillions of dollars and countless challenges to the human spirit.

Where Were You on Sept. 11, 2001? (here)

War Funding, Related Costs (here)
Al Qaeda spent roughly half a million dollars to destroy the World Trade Center and cripple the Pentagon. What has been the cost to the United States?

via www.nytimes.com

Intercontinental Ballistic Microfinance

2011-09-11T01:26:55Z

What happens when 620,000 lenders fund 615,000 entrepreneurs, students, and other microfinance borrowers around the world?

Five+ years of Kiva loan activity, in full color. Thanks to all the lenders, borrowers, partners, and team members who brightened this map - and helped to change lives in the process.

Anders Breivik's manifesto mapped

2011-09-07T21:22:53Z

The man behind the Norway bombings and shootings wrote a link-filled manifesto. To show the vast spread of websites he cites, and how they linked to each other, Guardian News turned to French visualisers Linkfluence.

This map shows those relationships between sites. To appear on it does not make anyone responsible for Breivik's actions. Rather it shows how a conspiracist mind can twist perfectly normal stories into a threatening and dangerous pattern.

For each site on the map, you click the dot to go there directly - and it then illuminates all links to other sites. The sites have been divided by category - click on the icon with three circles in the right-hand corner to see the sites grouped. Yellow links show who the site has linked to; red links show who has linked to it

via www.guardian.co.uk
(click here for interactive version)

Retail Price of Weed

2011-08-30T08:06:17Z

This map shows the differences in the retail price of marijuana based on user generated reports from the PriceofWeed website.

via FloatingSheep

Hurricane Irene: Power Failures, Rainfall and Damage

2011-08-29T03:38:51Z

Hurricane Irene caused widespread flooding and power failures. More than 5.8 million customers lost electricity.

via www.nytimes.com

Diagram: Blind Spots While Driving

2011-08-27T11:19:00Z

Interesting unless you already knew these: sitting closer to the mirror gives you smaller blind spots; sitting farther from the right side is why you need “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear” (a curved mirror).

via theory.stanford.edu
(click here to try it yourself)