The Graphic Account: April 17, 2013

Talk about big data! This week we found a map of the Internet, an infographic of the loneliest islands on Earth, and a visualization of the distance to Mars in pixels. We think you’ll also get a kick out of a video game based on infographics and Persian rugs made from Google Maps images. After you’ve caught up on the best in this week’s information design, check out our past posts.

[Infographic] Loneliest Islands

Inspired by Judith Schalansky’s Atlas of Remote Islands, this infographic created by Kanny Yeung shows the 50 loneliest islands on Earth ranking each island by number of inhabitants and it’s proximity to other islands.

[App] Map of the Internet

This app is a 3D visualization of the worldwide system of networks that connect together to form the Internet. The map shows ISPs, exchange points, and organizations that route online traffic and allows you to zoom in, pan and explore these global connections at a mind-blowing level of detail. Grab it now for free for both Android and iPhone!

[Visualization] British Casualties in Afghanistan

LONO, a UK based creative agency, tasked themselves with making the numbers surrounding British troop casualties in Afghanistan more accessible to a wide audience. Without a key this visualization may not be the easiest to read as it isn’t 100% clear that the colours represent the different years, however by breaking down the data by year and by month they have painted a vivid picture of these staggering numbers.

[Visualization] Out of Sight

A startling visualization that tells the story of the thousands of people killed by U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan. The aim of this project was not to speak for or against the usage of drones, but to bring to light the topic and to inform the public so they are able to form their own opinion based on the evidence.

[App] Future Urban World

Over 50% of the world’s population lives in an urban world, driving significant economic transformations. This app by McKinsey & Company seeks to help users understand the sheer scale of urbanization by plotting economic and demographic data onto interactive maps, giving them access to figures about population, household incomes and GDP.

[Game] Metrico Chart Game

Metrico is, at it’s core, a puzzle game for the PS Vita, but what makes this game unique, is that is centres around a world created from charts. The idea came to the creators after they noticed how beautiful infographics can look as an art form, and subsequently drove the style and type of interaction throughout the rest of the game.

[Cartography] Google Maps as Persian Rugs

Ever wondered what a map would look like as a rug? Well now you can! David Thomas Smith’s latest project called Anthropocene involves stitching together thousands of Google Maps images into complex patterns inspired by intricately detailed Persian rugs. Stunning!

[Visualization] Distance to Mars

It’s often hard to fully comprehend the unfathomable distances of space, but this handy little graphic-based visualization aims to put things in perspective by showing you the distance to Mars in pixels. Mind-blowing!

[Video] Kobe Bryant’s Salary

Every 60 seconds Kobe Bryant earns $162.55, which stands in stark contrast to a U.S. minimum wage worker who would earn around $0.12 for the same amount of time. This short video by CNN Money really highlights just how effective and poignant a simple chart can be.



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