The Earth is roughly four and a half billion years old. During most of that time—i.e. over the course of some four billion years—the geological and biological development on our planet happened unbelievably slow. How can we possibly form even a faint idea of this unimaginable process that is the history of the Earth?
Tag: data visualisation
Data Trails: “The Comparative Machine” (1836)
There is a very basic joy in roaming through atlases and in looking at maps. Atlases are rich collections of places, and if there is one thing they can do it is making you travel around the world, to places near and far…
Data Trails: “Notes on Matters Affecting the Health” (1858)
Visualising data on health and mortality has a most up-to-date ring to it, as if it had required the rise of big data and computational tools for something as intricate as visual health statistics to develop. Surprisingly, however, already the mid-19th century saw a huge upsurge…
Exhibition Review: “Otto Neurath & Fritz Kahn 1920-1945” (Leipzig)
The interwar period in Europe was marked by a whirlwind of contradicting social influences and political turmoil. Revolutionary and socialist … More
Data Trails: “81 Years of Graphical Excellence” (1874)
81 years of budget data and various categories in three diagrams – the United States Fiscal Chart from the 1870 US census atlas is a real blockbuster in the history of data visualisation. Today, experts from the field like to joke that data visualisation serves as a gateway drug to statistics…
Book Review: “Mapping Time” (Esri Press)
There’s hardly any infographic that is more famous, more often cited and more often re-designed than the graphic on Napoleon’s march … More
Book Review: “Dear Data” (Penguin)
To craft something requires skills, mastery and patience. It means to create something step by step, with a passion for … More
Article: “The Feltron Annual Reports” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Nicholas Felton‘s work has been an inspiration to many people in the field of information visualisation, not only when he … More
Article: “Ephemeral City” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Urban cartography has long been an authoritative matter: companies or authorities invested time, energy and money in researching the data … More
Jury Member: “Information is Beautiful Awards” (London)
I felt honoured to be part of the jury of this year’s “Kantar Information Is Beautiful Awards”. The awards’ winners … More
Talk & Article: “The Fifty Maps of Minard” (Pamplona)
I have had the great opportunity last week to present at this year’s Malofiej conference one of my currently favorite … More
Research: “The Forgotten Maps of Minard” (Paris)
In the ever growing field of information visualisation, there are a few historical heroes and pioneers who are always referred … More
Book: “Information Graphics”
Boom! I cannot exaggerate my excitement about the release of my first book “Information Graphics”, which I put together with a great team from Taschen Publishing in Cologne. The project was a collaboration with great people from the scene of data visualisation and information graphics.