Interactive examples

Aaron Koblin visualizes flight patterns in innovative video

Designer Aaron Koblin blew me away with his data visualization efforts to display U.S. flight patterns. Using FAA data, Koblin animated a variety of maps to allow users to come up with their own assumptions from the data. This is a great example of how an otherwise overwhelming amount of data can truly tell a story through graphics, design and animation. For those curious about the back-end, Adobe After Effects and/or Maya was used to create this visualization.

He goes into more detail about the project HERE. Yes, this dates back to 2005, but hopefully there are others out there who missed it like I did and can still be impressed four years later. In our world where technology changes daily, I am extremely impressed that this project remains innovative despite such a long shelf life.

For even more inspiration, check out his portfolio site. By usability standards this probably isn’t the best site, but portfolios serve to set an individual apart and this Flash interactive does just that.

NOTE: I decided to embed the large .mov file, but if it is taking too long to display, click here to watch the YouTube version.

Other posts that might interest you:

• AP political interactive displays great data visualization and video help feature
• Data visualization tools for free or cheap
• Ben Fry’s “Computational Information Design” is a must-read

© 26 March 2009 Innovative Interactivity (II).