We can read about a state’s population, but it can be difficult to visualize what its density looks like. Data Technologist Spencer Shin demystifies a selection of US states with its fascinating population density maps. In each of his three-dimensional visualizations, he uses publicly available data and the R programming language to plot the areas where people live.
In practice, this looks like bold maps with the most densely populated areas represented by skyscraper-like bars. The more people there are, the higher these sites are, which makes them look like a topographic map. For some states, the difference between rural population areas and urban centers seems extreme, as in the case of Chicago, Illinois. Low population sectors are light blue while the Windy City is so crowded that the bars change from orange to bright yellow.
Schien was inspired to make these cards as part of the #30DayMapChallenge in November 2021. “The theme for Day 21 was the Kontur population dataset“, he explains to My Modern Met. “The specific style was inspired by maps created with Aerialod (3D rendering software), and I was also drawn to creating comparable maps with my favorite open source software, the R programming language.”
Its aesthetic was further inspired by the Internet at large. “I have also long been inspired by the Twitter user @researchremorasays Schien, “who started making nice shaded relief elevation maps a while back (this is an anonymous account).
From now on, Schien created several state maps, city maps, and comparative maps, as well as maps of regional areas like nearby towns along the Mississippi shore. He plans to continue the project. “At this point, I think I’ll probably do all the states. I also enjoy finding creative ways to present data beyond standard state administrative boundaries. »
To see what Schien is working on next, follow him on Twitter.
We can read about a state’s population, but it can be difficult to visualize what its density looks like. Data technologist Spencer Schien demystifies a selection of US states with his fascinating population density maps.
In each of his three-dimensional visualizations, he uses publicly available data and the R programming language to plot the areas where people live.
The more people there are, the higher these sites are, which makes them look like a topographic map.
“The specific style was inspired by maps created with Aerialod (3D rendering software),” Schien tells My Modern Met, “and I was also drawn to creating comparable maps with my go-to open-source software, the R program language”.
One thing these visualizations show very clearly is that some states may have a lot of land mass, but people tend to live in only a few parts of it.
They make it easier to differentiate between urban and rural areas.
Schien intends to continue the project with more states, cities and regions.
