Just as the GoPro camera and YouTube have enabled us regular viewers to see things from a perspective we’ve never seen before, aerial photography, satellite imagery, number-crunching computers and GPS trackers can help us understand data flows too complicated to easily imagine.
The fantastic PBS miniseries America Revealed, which “explores the hidden patterns and rhythms that make America work,” makes stunning use of data-viz techniques to stimulate the eye-candy part of your brain while teaching you something. Pictured up top is a visualization of internet distribution.
The series, which follows in the footsteps of BBC’s Britain From Above, takes a wider look at the nationwide paths of complex societal systems across a number of industries that support daily maintenance and growth. It boasts that:
Viewers will discover a fascinating new perspective on the hidden patterns and rhythms of American life, by looking through the eyes of individuals who all play a part in keeping America fed, moving, powered and making goods.”
Watch more images and a video below… Enjoy.
The pinpointed distribution of the unemployed
Domino’s Pizza’s raw ingredients’ delivery routes in the Northeast
U.S. electricity network routes
The New York pizza delivery path of one Domino’s employee on a Friday night
New York’s public transportation paths
Patterns of planes’ flight paths
Traced paths of deceased bodies being transported to their hometowns
U.S. imports and exports of beef
All the people in America’s towns and cities
The full episode is available for free viewing online, at least for U.S. residents, here.
