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Interactive map and time series (Flu trends)

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Interactive map and time series (Flu trends)
This map presents an estimate of the intensity of the flu in 20 countries, compared with data for the last six years. The upper panel is a line graph showing the current and past trends of flu intensity by country. The lower panel is the choropleth map with the shading corresponding to the intensity of the flu. The innovative feature of this visualisation is the underlying method of estimation: the intensity of the flu has been approximated based on the number of internet based queries submitted during a certain period of time. Analyses of past data have shown that this method offers good predictions of real levels of the illness.
Visual types
Level of expertise
Source:
Nature (International Weekly Journal of Science); google.org: Nature 457, 1012-1014 (19 February 2009) (Visualisation information web site)
http://www.google.org/flutrends/
Interactive features
The user can select any of the 20 countries available, and for some of them can also acces further geographical breakdowns. The user can also download the underlying data.
Benefits & pitfalls to avoid
  • Line-charts imply that data is continuously changing. If your data is discrete you might consider a bar-chart instead.