DDD INFOGRAPHIC

A collection of colorful cartograms that will change your worldview …

History Shots creates well reported and beautifully designed infographics

Richard Saul Wurman’s classic book, “Information Anxiety” was a great introduction to theories of simplifying information,visual and otherwise.

In a more recent project, “Understanding USA” , Wurman enlists the help of several infographic designers and has been kind enough to release the entire volume on the web in Flash.

Speaking about logarithm, check out the universe map using a logarithmic scale (Princeton University):

A logarithmic chart can be useful when you want to display data with big difference in numeric values in a chart. In the example I attached, with and without the logarithmic scale, you can see that the reader, with the regular view, cannot identify values and difference with a reasonable degree of accuracy until 1993. Using the logarithmic scale improve the resolution of the individual data points.
The chart I’m showing is Oracle, and they almost went bankruptcy in 1990. You will not see that in the linear chart.
Of course, the biggest problem is that as a whole, it will not give a correct idea of the performance of a stock (to stay with the same example). And readers are not used to this kind of charts.
I think it is OK to use it, in exceptional occasions that justify it, and as long as we make sure to highlight the fact we are using this system. And maybe it would be good to use the usual one (linear) as a small reference chart in the same graphic.
If one of you guys want to try it, you would have to use Deltagraph.

The folks over at Xplane are masters of process oriented illustrated infographics

The PI may be up for sale, but their permalinks still work. Reporting and rendering by yours truly

Antarctic Ice Shelves

Cartography and research: Theban Mapping Project

The NGS site Forces of Nature is thoroughly reported and well rendered. And it gives you an idea of what might have happen when shit pops-off.

From time to time at DDD infographic, we’ll be posting links to flash tutorials and and other urls to increase awareness and understanding of Geographic Information Systems techniques in relationship to journalism.

Maramushi’s incredible Newsmap is both beautiful and useful.

The Name Wizard is a fluid interactive graphic displaying the popularity of names in the U.S. since the 1800’s