map – DASIL

New Data Visualizations this Summer

by Data Analysis and Social Inquiry Lab
June 18, 2015July 30, 2018

We are pleased to introduce two new data visualizations. Both are map visualizations. First, there is the map of Boko Haram Conflicts in Nigeria. It… Read More »New Data Visualizations this Summer

Using Cartograms as a Visualization Tool: An Interactive Tool for Exploring Fertility Rates

by KATHY KAMP, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY, GRINNELL COLLEGE
December 15, 2014July 30, 2018

Cartogram of the world based on population size.

Cartograms are spatial depictions that rely on quantitative attributes other than area to size their units. The most common cartograms show the world, and distort it by population or by wealth, but any geographic entity can be transformed into a cartogram. Because they force us to view the map in unfamiliar ways, cartograms provide dramatic visual portrayals of geographic, political, and socio-economic relationships. A look at a cartogram of the world based on population (above) quickly shows the potentially dominant places of India and China in Asia with respect to Russia and the significance of Korea and Japan as well.

The world sized by Gross National Product (GDP).

Quite a different picture is presented by the world sized by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Here the U.S. and Europe dominate. China is still large,Russia is still small, and the importance of Korea and Japan is still evident.