Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks This interactive map visually plots global outbreaks of measles, mumps, whooping cough, polio, rubella, and other diseases that are easily preventable by inexpensive and effective vaccines. Red triangles indicate attacks on vaccinators and healthcare workers, as well as announcements from both governments and non-state actors that have had an impact—either positive or negative—on the successful implementation of vaccination programs. The Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations has been tracking reports by news media, governments, and the global health community on these outbreaks since the fall of 2008. This project aims to promote awareness of a global health problem that is easily preventable, and examine the factors that threaten the success of eradicating preventable illnesses such as polio. Learn more about Global Health. On to the Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks map
If the world’s population lived like… Shortly after I started Per Square Mile, I produced an infographic that showed how big a city would have to be to house the world’s 7 billion people. There was a wrinkle, though—the city’s limits changed drastically depending on which real city it was modeled after. If we all lived like New Yorkers, for example, 7 billion people could fit into Texas. Here’s that infographic one more time, in case you haven’t seen it: What’s missing from it is the land that it takes to support such a city. It turns out that question is maddeningly difficult to answer. But what we can do is compare different countries and how many resources their people—and their lifestyles—use. Sources: Global Footprint Network. 2011. Wackernagel, M., Kitzes, J., Moran, D., Goldfinger, S. & Thomas, M. (2006). Related posts: If the world’s population lived in one city… 7 billion Spare or share?
Income inequality, as seen from space Last week, I wrote about how urban trees—or the lack thereof—can reveal income inequality. After writing that article, I was curious, could I actually see income inequality from space? It turned out to be easier than I expected. Below are satellite images from Google Earth that show two neighborhoods from a selection of cities around the world. In case it isn’t obvious, the first image is the less well-off neighborhood, the second the wealthier one. Rio de Janeiro Rocinha Zona Sul Oakland West Oakland Piedmont Houston Fourth Ward River Oaks Chicago Woodlawn Hyde Park Beijing Fengtai Chaoyang Boston metro area, Massachusetts Ball Square, Somerville West Cambridge Your examples Do you have other cities or neighborhoods in mind? Be sure to include the names of the cities and neighborhoods you’re highlighting and if you’d like me to mention your name. Your examples are now posted! Related posts: Urban trees reveal income inequality Income inequality in the Roman Empire Ghosts of geography
Are the Richest Americans Also the Best Educated? More Infographics on Good Cartography: The true true size of Africa LAST month Kai Krause, a computer-graphics guru, caused a stir with a map entitled "The True Size of Africa", which showed the outlines of other countries crammed into the outline of the African continent. His aim was to make "a small contribution in the fight against rampant Immappancy"—in particular, the fact that most people do not realise how much the ubiquitous Mercator projection distorts the relative sizes of countries. A sphere cannot be represented on a flat plane without distortion, which means all map projections distort in one way or another. Some projections show areas accurately but distort distances or scales, for example; others preserve the shapes of countries but misrepresent their areas. Gerardus Mercator's projection, published in 1569, was immediately useful because it depicts a line of constant bearing as a straight line, which is handy for marine navigation.
Electoral college reform (fifty states with equal population) – fake is the new real The electoral college is a time-honored, logical system for picking the chief executive of the United States. However, the American body politic has also grown accustomed to paying close attention to the popular vote. This is only rarely a problem, since the electoral college and the popular vote have only disagreed three times in 200 years. However, it's obvious that reforms are needed. The fundamental problem of the electoral college is that the states of the United States are too disparate in size and influence. The largest state is 66 times as populous as the smallest and has 18 times as many electoral votes. Poster A poster version of the map is for sale. The poster is $35 and ships first class to your door, safely packed in a sturdy tube. Consult the shop for more about shipping. Advantages of this proposal Preserves the historic structure and function of the Electoral College. Disadvantages Some county names are duplicated in new states. Methodology
Balloon Mapping From the Ground Up: Public Lab's Field Techniques Public Lab’s balloon- and kite-based mapping approach is a new way to take aerial images from the ground. However, there are some considerations and things that can be learned from a few map stories. Each map project has distinct characteristics in its time, place, and local atmospheric conditions. Lake Merritt (Oakland, Calif.) This map was created on a late July morning. In some cases, the balloon is lowered all the way back to the ground to get around or under things. UC Davis Campus (Davis, Calif.) This map was made on a foggy November morning in California’s Central Valley. After the first hour, the sun started to burn through, and we were able to fly at our goal altitude of 500 feet. Sunol Ag Park (Sunol, Calif.) While doing a scheduled flight at a community agricultural park, we encountered clear weather with high winds. Chandeleur Islands (Louisiana) Wind can sometimes enable better aerial imaging rather than deter it.
Census Maps Using Word Frequency From 19 Million Dating Website Profiles Chicago area Each decade the United States government embarks on a census of its entire population in order to update population numbers and demographic information that aids in the allocation of Congressional seats, electoral votes, and government program funding. But as helpful and interesting as this data is, what does it really tell us about who we are? What about our likes, dislikes, feelings, and the ways we choose to define ourselves? In his project A More Perfect Union , artist R. Luke Dubois asked this very question and set out to answer it by joining 21 dating web sites and aggregating language used in the profiles of 19 million people. To join a dating site you have to, quite literally, “put yourself out there”, describing yourself for the express purpose of being liked. I joined twenty-one dating sites in order to make my own census of the United States in 2010. Below are some examples of maps where locations are substituted with words people used to describe themselves.
How We Use Maps and Globes: An Illustrated Guide from 1968 by Maria Popova A charming reminder of how far we’ve come — and what we’ve given up along the way. Yesterday, we traced the birth of our modern obsession with maps. But in today’s age of cartographic entitlement — the kind that causes an epidemic of panic and outrage at having one kind of Earth-in-your-pocket over another — it’s hard to believe we once had to be taught how to use maps and why they mattered. One of the most beautiful illustrations in the book is this map of bird migration patterns: But besides the educational value and the sheer vintage gorgeousness of the artwork, these illustrations also remind us of what we’ve lost along with everything we’ve gained in the past half-century of technological progress — the pride in telling direction just by your shadow in the sun, the awe of gazing at the night sky and knowing that you share the North Star with millennia of fellow explorers, or even the simple joy of spinning a globe with your index finger. Donating = Loving