This is a really powerful tool for viewing global statistics that might be useful for class. The visualizations in Hans Rosling’s presentation are pretty amazing.
The tool Rosling uses in the presentation is available online (along with his blog). It took me a little while to figure it out how to use it, but experimentation with the maps and charts, along with the video tutorial, really helped me realize how much is here.
Indicators include health, economic, education, environmental, and more data from the UN.
The site also provides information about how you can use Google Spreadsheets to make your own motion charts. I experimented, and the process is fairly straight-forward for charts but doesn’t include the mapping piece, which is available for the UN data on Rosling’s site.
Total Oil Consumption – Let’s get on those bikes or carpool America 