Infographics, Maps, Music and More: 2014

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Historical Maps of Connecticut Railroads and Trolleys

A compilation of Connecticut historical railroad and trolley maps. Thumbnail navigation provides easy visual access to a variety of online maps and historical info.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

A cartographic tour through 2014

14 Maps That Explain 2014

Historic Drought

Crisis in Ukraine

A Tragic Mystery

Monday, December 15, 2014

Geostrategy - Worldwide American Military Presence

The Big Mystery…
The U.S.A. is deployed in over 135 countries worldwide. There are more than 1,000 U.S. military bases dotting the globe. Nobody knows the exact number for sure - being strategic and due to the instability in the world much is kept secret...

Mega Bases

Former Yugoslavia, Iran, Afghanistan are a few of the countries with American Mega-Bases with the usual assortment of Burger Kings and Popeyes, basically transplanted nothing U.S. town on foreign soil, bustling in a way increasingly rare for actual American towns these days, part of a planetary military deployment of a sort never before seen in history. The staggering size, scope, and strangeness of all this is seldom considered, analyzed, or debated in the American mainstream.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175338/

Historical Maps of U.S. Expansion

Link to Maps...

Historical Maps of U.S. Expansion

Middle East Geostrategy

Petroleum and International Theatre of War

in the Middle East

Worldwide Presence

Interactive Map of U.S. Army Bases

Article

The Worldwide Network of US Military Bases >

See the world’s foreign military bases from outer space

Article (Google Earth)

U.S. Military Bases >

Great Google Based map that shows everything

(1) Go to Home and Pan on map or

(2) Go the regional links

Friday, December 12, 2014

Geostrategy - Water Resources

Which regions are most affected by increasing water stress?

Article >

(This is a great site)

Water was for centuries cheap and plentiful but population growth, globalization, and climate change are shepherding in a new water-constrained era. Good, clean water just cannot be replaced—and it is getting harder to come by.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Geostrategy: Oil Pipeline Maps

Much of the conflicts and future conflicts in the world today increasingly are based on access and control of energy resources. Bolstering economic alliances between nations by securing safe transport of oil and natural gas using strategically located pipelines plays an enormous role in geopolitics today

Article >

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Geostrategy: Pacific Ocean Shipping Lanes

Article >

Monday, December 1, 2014

Maps of U.S. Federal Subsidies

U.S. Government Agricultural Subsidies

Article >

The Farm Bill

The Farm Bill subsidizes farmers who grow commodities — corn, soybeans, cotton, rice and wheat. These mostly provide cheap feed for livestock and biofuel processing, as well as raw material (high-fructose corn syrup, soy oil and various corn- and soy-based food additives).

Article: U.S. food politics in action

Federal Taxes Vs. Spending

SOME American states receive more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes; others receive less. Over twenty years these fiscal transfers can add up to a sizeable sum.

Article: America's fiscal union - The red and the black

DIY Research

Google Search Terms:
U.S. Federal Subsidies
U.S. Farm Subsidies
U.S. Tax Subsidies
U.S. Bank Subsidies
etc.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Hieronymus Bosch - Butt Music!

Hieronymus Bosch's painting "The Garden of Earthly Delights" - is a masterpiece and truly the work of a mad genius. Strange folks emerge from eggs, defecate flutes and seemingly contort in sinful delight across the three panels.

Well what the heck does that have to do with Infographics?!
One small figure has music written across their butt - truly one of the most unique data visualizations ever, but nevertheless it is an infographic!

But no that's not even the punch line - folks have actually arranged and recorded this composition - Hieronymus would have been proud to hear his butt piece performed!

Hieronymus Bosch Butt Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrICy3Bc2U

Chorale Version
http://www.discovery-zone.com/hidden-song-hell-secret-message-left-hieronymus-bosch/

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Visualizing Global Migration

Both Vintage and "Cutting Edge" Maps of Global Migration

Global Migration circa 1858

Article >

The Global Flow of People

Five-year periods, 1990 to 2010

Interactive Data Visualization >

Friday, November 14, 2014

Unfinished Suburbs of America

Burbs Going Bust

Jett, Megan. 30 Apr 2012. ArchDaily

Check Out the Full Infographic >

The Unfinished Suburbs of America

"zombie subdivision"

Article and Slide Show >

The Malling of America

(from landscape to crudscape...)

Site >

An interesting look at the forces tearing apart America's towns, cities, and farms and its impact on our lives.
Photos, Presentations, References to Other Sites, Books, etc.

Do It Your Self Research

Google Search Terms:

death of suburbia
zombie subdivision
New Urbanism
James Howard Kunstler
Geography Of Nowhere
The Long Emergency
Suburban Sprawl

Friday, November 7, 2014

Tracking the Rise of Globalization...

International Phone Calls

Tracking International Phone Calls is one way of measuring how information flows around the world

Developed by business researchers and sponsored by shipper DHL, this map shows the volume of phone calls between countries around the world.

Article and Map >

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Music-Related Infographics

Music infographics

Infographic >

How the Internet has Rocked the Music Industry

Infographic >

Website that hosts a tremendous amount of data, charts
and infographics on the Music Industry

Statista >

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Passenger Train Maps - Canada vs. U.S.

Comparing Canada's Online Passenger Train Map

to the United States' Online Passenger Train Map...

:-(

Canada has a quick loading banner with the map in a layer

Instructions: "VIA has 19 train routes across Canada. To select your train route, simply select a train from the list under the map..."

Canada's VIA Website >

While the U.S. site has 6 disjointed maps found click click-thrus on this page
https://www.amtrak.com/routes.html

or...

a huge (slow to download) PDF>

U.S. Amtrak site >

Although the Interactive Route Atlas > shows promise... Oops!
NOT AVAILABLE ? TAKEN OFFLINE! (6-2-19)
it is a much longer process to figure out how the interactivity works (panning, selecting destinations, etc.) and will inevitably lose the impatient casual visitor.

Granted, the U.S. passenger train network is larger and more complex but the ease of navigation, simple logical layout is much more intuitive and user friendly on the Canadian site...

Monday, November 3, 2014

Google "Trail View"

Sure it may be old news but its still pretty wild to think about...

Google and its street-view cameras already have taken users to narrow cobblestone alleys in Spain using a tricycle, inside the Smithsonian with a push cart and to British Columbia’s snow-covered slopes by snowmobile.

The search giant now has brought its all-seeing eyes — mounted for the first time on a backpack — down into the Grand Canyon, showcasing the attraction’s most popular hiking trails on the South Rim and other walkways.

FELICIA FONSECA - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Article >

Bonus!

Search Google Images - keywords "Google Trail View" for more images

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Mapping the Age of Every Building in Manhattan

Tracking Manhattan's rise, block by block, since 1765.

Kinda Cool!

Article >

Friday, October 17, 2014

Interactive Video Timeline

Intersting interactive timeline allows you to preview historic newsreels captured since 1896. A slider on the bottom on the the timeline allows you to browse by decade. There are some really informative and priceless historical clips - A great visual history lesson!