The Value of Data Visualization

Here's a quick video from the folks at Column Five, who do a great deal of work with GOOD for their good.is/infographics section.

See below for one of the more recent infographics from the colaboration between the two groups reviewing the shift in ad revenue, as investigated by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. 

Click to launch the infographic.

One of the more interesting statistics that stands out from the visualization is the very low percentage of market share that video advertising has. While a small percentage of the revenue market share, it would be interesting to see a visualization on the ROI for each advertising mechanism online. 

ROI measurement for online advertising is an emerging space and yet the measurements for length of time a user spends on pages - with a banner ad in front of them, number click throughs, or time spent watching pre-roll ads are easily measureable. These statistics, correlated against the revenue market share numbers might highlight that, while a smaller percentage of the market for ad dollars, the money put into video is money well spent for capturing the attention and the time of the user. 

Farming Infographics in Africa

Figured I'd combine the topics of the last two posts, infographics and Bill Gates.  

Ok, so Bill Gates isn't going to become a small farmer any time soon, but the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation sure is working on getting small farmers in Africa up and going with simple innovations. The answer to the world's problems is small farmers, and the infographic explains the vision for how better information, better seeds, better tools, and better storage all lead to an Africa with small farmers at the forefront.  With the famine crisis in Somalia getting worse, we all hope to see an updated infographic one day of how food provided by small farmers led to peace in the conflict torn country. That'll be one big innovation.

The infographic is, "a collaboration between GOOD and Kiss Me I'm Polish, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation." Read the original post by Good here. 

Wired Business Conference: Bill Gates on Energy Innovation

Bill Gates opens this 56 minute video of a question and answer session from the recent Wired Business Conference with the following answer to a question about his investments in nuclear power: 

"The key in energy, I think is that the status quo is pretty unacceptable. That is in terms of security, in terms of cost, in terms of environmental impact, if we dont have innovation in energy we don't improve much at all. Energy is fundamental to farming, transport, heating...if you can think of one advance that would change society and make it better, reducing the cost of energy would be almost at the top of the list I think."

The Future of InfoActive Graphics & Digital Publishing According to Facebook (?)

If infographics are in, then get ready for the next phase: "infoactive graphics." What had started off as a post about how great learning is going to become with the marriage of new media technology and the ever evolving strategies of infographics, has quickly evolved into a story about how Facebook just snapped up the latest and greatest company working to advance the world of digital publishing. As PC World tries to answer, just why did Facebook buy Push Pop Press this past week? 

Push Pop Press has been receiving acclaim over the last three months in places like TED and in the world of infographics junkies as the creators and publishers (along with Melcher Media and Rodale) of the highly interactive, full length book for the iPad and iPhone, Our Choice. This downloadable interactive book about energy and climate change is by none other than the inventor of infographics himself Al Gore.

There is nothing I love more than good design executed in a way that makes information more accessible for people to learn how to evolve society and ideas. Along with the rest of the online world I'm overjoyed with the growing popularity of infographics and now "infoactive graphics." While the Push Pop Press shop isn't the only set of innovators using this new medium, the acquisition does raise questions about what will happen to the emerging sector with a leading player taken off the board and put behind closed doors. 

Al Gore's Our Choice from Push Pop Press, is the perfect new example of infoactive graphics at play. The digital book that can be downloaded for the iPad and iPhone, simplifying the complex issues and technologies that are so critical for all of us to understand; energy, climate change, and natural resources.

Instead of seeing where their private beta product will shift the emerging market, we're now going to have to wait and see how Facebook integrates Push Pop's technology into their platform. Instead of a major deal with let's just say, National Geographic or the Chicago Public School System following a public launch of a publishing tool for all, we'll be more focused on understanding what privacy settings are built into the applications that Facebook creates with the technology.  

It's an understandable move; there was no need for Push Pop to toil in a new space forever, waiting for the world to catch on. It's an even more understandable move for a small company to seek shelter in this economy. This acquisition signals that "infoactive graphics" are here to stay, new publishing and education with graphics, movies, and images has a real place in the market. As communicators and media developers though, we're just going to have to wait and see if Push Pop's removal from the field will be beneficial for those itching to publish at this level.

Clearly Facebook's interest in the space can't hurt interest in the space. The remaining question is how will innovation be spurred, when will the next book of this kind be published, and will Facebook actually, become a "book"?   Just read the excerpt from Push Pop's About Page, now titled Push Pop Press acquired by Facebook. For now Facebook seems to think they hold the answers to the future, right?

Well, the reality is, you can't absorb everything in an acquisition like this. The master infographic designer of the Push Pop Press five, Brett Victor (@worrydream) said on twitter yesterday: "OK. For the record. I have no plans to work at Facebook, Google, 4chan, Baidu, Arby's, or anywhere else. I'm not cut out to be an employee." 

So while we watch this unfold, I'll be checking in with @worrydream and reading more about "reactive documents" on his website, which Facebook can't lock behind a closed door.

Plant a Fish!

Plant a Fish is a newly-launched nonprofit, headquartered in New York City, by third-generation ocean explorer and environmental advocate, Fabien Cousteau, whose mission is to empower communities to become involved with responsible 're-planting' of key marine species in their local habitats in distressed bodies of water around the world. Initial targeted projects in 2010-2011 will include responsible re-planting of oysters in New York Harbor, sea turtles in El Salvador, mangroves in South Florida, corals in the Maldives.