Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Hans Rosling gets involved with the data at TED 09 in Long Beach, California.
Let your data speak
As a presenter, what sets Rosling apart is his animation of the data. Before Gapminder,
he had been using data and playing it beautifully—in fact, he was a bit of a hero in his
own academic community. But it was the Gapminder software that allowed him to really
connect with people—to reveal the meaning of data and tell a story to the greater public.
What was missing before was the “instrument of playing,” says Rosling. Gapminder,
which allows for complex animation, provides that instrument. “In statistics we need the
composers, we need people who make the instruments, and we need those who play.”
Gapminder was founded in Stockholm by Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rnnlund and Hans
Rosling in early 2005. Trendalyzer, the Gapminder software, makes it possible to unveil
the beauty of a statistical time series by converting “boring numbers” into engaging,
animated, and interactive graphics. You can use the online Trendalyzer software in the
form of Gapminder World, a Web service that displays a time series of development
statistics for all countries (Google acquired Trendalyzer from the Gapminder Foundation
in 2006).
Gapminder World
