A Few Maps of the World

I’ve come across a few impressive maps showing different worldwide trends. These were all created by crunching various data sets in programs such as Processing or R.

Worldwide Air Travel

LX97 made this map showing every single scheduled flight on any given day. Notice how hubs like JFK, FRA or DXB turn into dark knots where lines meet, whereas lesser served local services are only a subtle hint.

Link to the source.

Worldwide Facebook Friends

Paul Butler is an intern at facebook and he produced this map showing connections between facebook friends. It’s noteworthy not only because it shows how prominent facebook is across North America and Europe, but also because it shows places where it doesn’t control the market yet, such as Russia, China and Brazil.

Link to the post describing how Butler made it.

Worldwide Scientific Collaboration Between Researchers

Olivier Beauchesne made this map showing scientific collaboration between researchers at different universities. For example, if a UCLA researcher published a paper with a colleague at the University of Tokyo, this would create an instance of collaboration between Los Angeles and Tokyo. Beauchesne notes that map only shows papers published in English, which probably explains why most of the connections are centered on Europe and North America.

Link to the source via FlowingData

Worldwide Internet Connections

Chris Harrison made this map showing the structure of the Internet. Using data from the Dimes Project, Harrison created a set of visualizations displaying how cities across the globe are interconnected.

Link to the source

Related posts:

• A trio of Global Warming Articles
• In China’s Second Largest City
• The Light Graffiti of Denis Smith
• Typographic Map Posters
• Gigapixel Panoramic Photo of London
• The Floating Suburban Tea House
• Aakash Nihalani’s Tape Art
• Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project