b.yetman » Election Map Magic - 10 Maps that rocked the results

Nov

Election Map Magic - 10 Maps that rocked the results

by benton Posted in Geospatial, design, interface, random

Every election we see a bunch of red and blue patchwork maps, usually displayed as states are being called, and of course on the front page of the paper the next morning. This election however, interactive maps were used in a bunch of new ways to help display and query election results, exit polls, and projections. The volume of these tools was suprising, but here are a few that really wowed us…

The New York Times Election Results Map - link

Ability to visualize results data at the state and county level, as well as graduated symbols for county specific results. A very intuitive and well thought out interface with easy drilldown capabilities.

NPR Election Map - link

Though it didn’t get as much use as it might have, the NPR Election Map let you create your own scenarios and visualize the outcomes. The drilldown into historic data was interesting, though it tended to jump away from the map interface. I liked that you could sort states by poll closing times, and then revise your scenario.

USA Today, Behind the Results - link

A late addition to the list (thanks Joe Francica for the link), USA Today’s map interface is one of the the most interesting for analysing demographic data by county results with breakdown and timeline. The flash interface has the most unique interactive tools of any i’ve seen this election…. a must see.

Google Maps Election Results - link

This one was embeded on countless blogs, and served as the basis for hundreds of election result mashups. Pretty simple in overall design, allowing you to jump to an individual state for focused viewing.

CNN Results Map - link

Very similar to all the other election maps, providing the ability to view exit poll results at the county and state level. The focus on historic data query and visualization was one of the strong points of this map.

FiveThirtyEight - link

Amazing coverage, even if the focus on interactive map display wasn’t the vehicle of choice for delivering it!

Twitter Vote Report - link

All day twitter stream covering voting conditions on the ground, this mashup also provided one of the more interesting visualizations of hypersocial information flooding in from around the country.

CNN Magic Wall - link

Multitouch interface, seamless state to county results drilldown, and onscreen markup capabilities, this tool was the most impressive data dissemination platform of the night for me. Near real-time county drilldown provides a whole new understanding of the race, and the ability to overlay historic results provided a whole new perspective to the coverage.