* An intelligent use of Flash
As you may have noticed from previous issues of this newsletter, I’m a big fan of Flash content. Of course, I need to qualify that with “when used intelligently” (those Web sites with big Flash intros that do nothing other than show that the companies aren’t spending wisely and have oversized egos are one of the things that gives Flash a bad name).
Today I have an outstanding application of Flash that demonstrates the kind of purpose that Flash should be used for. The site is Gapminder, which the proprietors describes thus:
“Gapminder is a nonprofit venture that develops information technology for provision of free statistics in new visual and animated ways. In short, it enables you to make sense of the world by having fun with statistics. Our method is to turn boring data into enjoyable interactive animations using Flash technology.”
Established as a nonprofit foundation in Stockholm, Sweden, Gapminder is funded mainly by grants from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. Gapminder also collaborates with United Nations Statistics Division to “promote free access to searchable public data.”
[Note: You might want to stop here until you have time to burn – Gapminder is so interesting that you are likely to use up a couple of hours. If you are lucky.]
Gapminder’s Web site itself is a simple HTML presentation but the Gapminder tool is where the foundation has used Flash to such great effect.
The Gapminder tool has a tabbed interface that shows either a chart or a map. You can choose what data defines the chart’s X and Y axes and which year the data is to be plotted for. You can also select which country’s data should be plotted from menus to the right of the display. You can also select whether data points (or rather circles) are colored according to the region they belong, income group, or the country’s level of indebtedness.
So, for example, if you want to visualize income per capita in international dollars against life expectancy in years colored by indebtedness, the graph will locate the coordinates for those parameters at the center of a circle with a diameter proportional to the population for each selected regions or country. The graph could be colored red for severely indebted, yellow for moderately indebted, green for less indebted, and blue for unclassified.
You can plot the data using either linear or logarithmic scales for either or both axes. Non-selected countries can be hidden or shown with whatever level of transparency you like. The map tab displays a world map with the circles shown in the chart view located on the selected countries.
All of the data comes from World Development Indicators 2006 at present and spans from 1975 to 2004 (some data such as Internet access obviously has a smaller, more recent range).
Where the chart gets really sexy is in the animation controls at the bottom of the chart which allow for variable speed playback with or without “trails” which leave previous plotted data on the display providing a “path” that tracks the changes. You can smoothly animate the data over time, jump to a specific year, or step sequentially through the data, which provides a remarkable insight into how the statistics change over time and for multiple regions and countries, relative to each other.
Gapminder also integrates with Google’s Co-op, described as “a platform which enables you to use your expertise to help other users find information.” This is an interesting service that has yet to get much coverage service and allows Gapminder charts to be generated from Web links that define specific query sets for the Gapminder tool.
Also note on Gapminder’s home page are a collection of other Flash-enabled statistical studies titled “Human Development Trends 2005” (these can also be downloaded) some of which are astoundingly good!
