Looking through two of my favorite info graphic sources (WIRED and GOOD) I came across this diagram of global meat consumption. The info graphics from these sources usually tend to range in how well they represent the data. This particular graphic is obviously created partly in jest. It is good for understanding who falls in top and the lowest consumer brackets, but beyond that the representation gets a little silly. For one thing it is hard to really compare how much meat is eaten in each country since they are represented by bovine parts with greatly varied form.
The graphic also goes on to give you an idea of how much meat that say Sierra Leon eats through a complex equation of amassing different types of “common edible things”. To understand this list you have to refer to the key, where one discovers that these “common edible things” aren’t so common after all… Santa?? really?
So though the data and visuals is amusing, it doesn’t really accurately represent anything at all.
Of course, if your looking for the most reliable data, NY Times always seems like a good place to turn. They recently compiled data on water facilities across New York. This data is presented in both map and list form. It presents information on facilities that discharge pollutants. By providing the date of last inspection, it puts this data in better context. By clicking on a facility, you are able to get a timeline of violations as well as the source of the data in for further investigation. Overall, it provides a very digestible an accurate picture of water contaminating pollution sources across the US.
Tags: crafting with data, infographics, ITP, statistics, water