The Economist Noticed!

The Economist magazine has a short feature on the power of presenting information through maps. In Mapping a better world, the magazine looks at some recent successes in the use of maps and on-line map presentation to address social and political challenges.

For most people it is merely a handy tool to find a nearby pizzeria or get directions to a meeting. But mapping technology has matured into a tool for social justice. Whether it is to promote health, safety, fair politics or a cleaner environment, foundations, non-profit groups and individuals around the world are finding that maps can help them make their case far more intuitively and effectively than speeches, policy papers or press releases.

The story details uses of mapped information for a variety of purposes, including political activism, law enforcement, and social science applications.

And it includes a quote from NSGIC member Jeff Vining, of Gartner:

“Today you are allowed to visualise data in ways you couldn’t even understand just a few years ago,” says Jeff Vining of Gartner, a consulting firm.

With thanks to ESRI and GotGeoInt, on twitter, for the link!