Population density Archives

Data can be beautiful, but often, it isn’t.

Open up an Excel file, and “inspiring” is rarely the term used to describe it. But take that same data, and visualize it in a useful and graphical way, and it can tell a story, or paint a picture that feels entirely new.

Spencer Schien has accomplished that with his population density maps, which take data around population centers, and visualizes it using an open source tool called Rayshader, which can create 2D and 3D visualizations.

While most of us know generally where the big cities are within a certain state or locale, the visualized maps do an amazing job of showing just how concentrated the populations are, shown with tall, colorful spikes that rise from the maps like topography.

The map of Illinois below show just how huge Chicago is, with the density rising up like skyscrapers. The rest of the state remains relatively flat, except for a single spike in the capital.

It’s a unique way to understand the size and locations of cities, removing the county lines and roads, and focusing solely on population data.

Check out the other maps below, showing population density in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia, among others.

See more of Schien’s work on his website.

© Copyright Spencer Schien. Images used with artist’s permission.

Fast Co. Design has an article showcasing a great infographic by graduate student Derek Watkins.

Graduate student Derek Watkins has created a map that’s shaped by its populations. Based upon William Bunge’sThe Continents and Islands of Mankind, Watkins created a blob-based view of the world, all shaped by population density. His resulting project takes over where Bunge left off. It’s an interactive map (you can toggle population densities with a simple slider), allowing you to see, very simply, the most dense places on the planet, and how these areas relate to one another. So the most dense cities in the world are depicted as land while the sparsely populated spaces sink into the oceans.

Areas with population density over 5 people per square kilometer.

I think the clean simplicity and relative vagueness of the map makes the information all the more compelling. Like an ink blob, the maps have bigger splotches where the density is higher, and empty canvas where the world is less populated. In this dead-simple way, it’s easy to make out India and China, and the growing density of places like Nigeria.

Areas with population density over 190 people per square kilometer.

At 190 people per square kilometer, things get simpler still. Nearly the whole western hemisphere disappears, leaving the remnants of megacities. Watkins’ website has a slider that lets you play with the density, and watch the world change.