Dutch Atlas Wins Top Design Prize

I don’t follow the design world; I made the requisite maps for my geography degrees and work, but now feel most at home with words. Still, an article on design in the New York Times did catch my eye; specifically this bit in the Fashion section:

Joost Grootens, a Dutch designer. By reassessing the type of information we might like to find in an atlas, and experimenting with different ways of depicting it, Mr. Grootens has created a beautiful series of books that give us a richer, clearer picture of the places we are looking up than we ever could hope to find on the Internet.

Thanks to his latest book, the Vinex Atlas, Mr. Grootens on Sunday was awarded the Netherlands’ most prestigious design award, the Rotterdam Design Prize.

The article goes on to discuss design in The Netherlands but I set off to look at the book, which was published in 2008. Very nice. It won another book award, too.

The Second Birth of Visualization

David McCandless is the author of the upcoming book Information is Beautiful (UK, published by Collins) also known as The Visual Miscellaneum (US, HarperCollins) to be published in February. He offers a look at visualization in a BBC article, discussing its second birth in the age of the Internet.

I found the comments, one from a student in geomatics, most interesting.

Oh, and here’s his website, with some interesting visuals.

New Scientist Looks at 3D Mapping

The article explores Ordnance Survey work, Fugro’s models from 911 and Infoterra’s 3D product, Skape expected in January 2010.

- New Scientist via ResourceShelf

World AIDS Day Map

Here’s a map of progress being made towards universal access of care for AIDS patients (among other things). What is universal access?

Universal access is a global commitment to scale up access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support. The movement, enshrined in the 2006 UN Political Declaration, is led by countries worldwide with support from UNAIDS and other development partners including civil society.

- ResourceShelf

Podcast: The GIS and CAD Dance in 2009

What is the status of the GIS and CAD relationship in 2009? Does one need the other in the ways outlined by CAD companies in the mid-1990s? Have the big issues been resolved? Is there a trial separation going on? Will BIM bring them back together? Our editors look for clues in user, educator and software developer behavior as Autodesk University launches in Las Vegas this week.

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