Information Is Beautiful

The Problem with Plastics (credit: Information is  Beautiful)

                                   US wind and solar power potential (credit: Information is Beautiful)

We are immersed in information arriving from every conceivable direction. This will only increase as our ability to gather more advances exponentially. This is 'Big Data' and aptly named.

Graphic designer and journalist David McCandless believes the best way to grapple with this info overload is to visualize it. Comparing the potential for wind and solar power to meet the current electrical demands in the USA, it becomes obvious that replacing fossil fuel generated electricity with renewable solar and wind power is achievable. Likewise, the massive problem of plastic waste pollution can be visualized using its production volumes, diverse uses, and recycling percentages. In visualizing such data, McCandless shows how straightforward issues can be seen and understood.

Such data-rich info-graphics are powerful, insightful, and yes, beautiful. WHB

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