Some resources on mapping and visualisation

Today I'd like to share a bunch of resources which have in common some thoughts about, and efforts for, the visualisation and mapping of different geographic layers. I'm quite sure I've found at a couple of them on Stuard Elden's Progressive Geographies (thanks).

1. Think Africa Press has this excellent article on the Guardian which moves from the long-term debate about colonialism in world mapping and how the Mercator map of the world (the one we use the most) "westernize" the whole world. Then the article moves to the ongoing privatisation of world mapping, Google Maps being the most evident proof of this process, and how it's especially affecting Africa, for it is the continent where less economic interests for an accurate mapping exist.

2. Visualizing Palestine is an amazing project at "the intersection of communication, social sciences, technology, design and urban studies for social justice". It "uses creative visuals to describe a factual rights-based narrative of Palestine/Israel" (from the about section of its website). Within its outputs, this powerful infographic about how the control of population registry and identity ID allows the creation of a de facto multi-layered segregation.

3. Geography of Poverty is an amazing project by Matt Black, who uses photography to "map" California Central Valley where some of the poorest metropolitan regions of the US are found.

4. Last but not least, this post on the Italian edition of DailyBest has some stunning photographic comparisons which tells of the growth of some global cities in recent decades. The contact of mine who shared it on FB said: "one day, all the world will be covered in concrete" (and Lefebvre, would be laughing!).