Hmmm. File under… data visualization? Tag as zombies, survival, humor?
The Map of the Dead – Zombie Survival Map was built with HTML5’s geolocation functionality, the Google Places API, and Google Maps’ stylized maps feature. Designed by Doejo, It’s simple and, though it could have used a more robust feature-set (those little place icons could tell a good story), it nonetheless has a clean, simple interface and three toggling map views (map, danger zone and no danger zone).
When I first saw the Mapping Wikipedia project by TraceMedia (via FastCompany) I asked myself, “How are they writing from the sea?” I must have asked out loud because my partner responded, “Maybe they are in boats.” Maybe.
In all seriousness, this is an incredibly beautiful visualization that highlights Wikipedia activity across the world, filtered through seven languages and all countries, under the context of the Middle East and North Africa (it was designed as part of a project which studies those regions, so you’ll see right away that the language filters all relate to this geography–e.g., French and no Spanish).
I have to admit that I spent an inordinately long amount of time trying to recreate all the authors in boats scenario that I saw in the Fast Company screenshot (below). I couldn’t, but I had fun trying. All joking aside, the apparent simplicity bely the richness of the data underneath–this project was built using OpenLayers and GoogleMaps and is yet another example of the capabilities of HTML5. And FastCompany does a nice job of hinting at the myriad possibilities that something like this could open up. Take some time to select a few troubled spots in the world and you’ll see what I mean.
Who doesn’t love democracy? This very cool interactive is one of the best examples of how an intuitive interface transcends language. It’s in French. Try it anyway. You can compare how seven different countries treat democracy (ranging from the U.S. to Morocco) along a handful of measures such as how long leaders have been in power, how many citizens have access to the internet and social media, etc. What’s really cool is that you have a very different user experience when you view one country versus comparing two. And they both work. When we think of data visualization, this is one of the best examples that I’ve ever seen that doesn’t shy away from presenting complex data, but does so in a way that is accessible, immersive and richly rewarding. Makes me want to learn French, kind of. Props to infosthetics.com for posting this last month.
Take it as a list or a question. Toggle between conspiracy and reality. This not so tongue-in-cheek data visualization by David McCandless warms my conspiracy-ridden heart. Thanks Information Is Beautiful.