Max Galka from Metrocosm mapped road fatalities in the U.S.
from 2004-2013. The interactive map (Link: http://metrocosm.com/map-every-fatal-traffic-accident-in-the-u-s-2004-2013/) displays 373,377 points, one point for each
person who died in a vehicle crash between 2004 and 2013. The
shape of the icon of each point relates to the individual who died in
the crash: man, woman, child (age < 16), or multiple, and the color
identifies whether the person was a driver, a passenger, a pedestrian or a
bicyclist.
I very much appreciate the power of data / GIS / mapping to give visual clarity to a problem. But, in this case, I wonder if dots on a map create a further dehumanizing of this issue. 373 thousand dots. That's a lot of dots. 373 thousand lives. That is a public health crisis and a scale of tragedy that seems willfully ignored. The work that this researcher is doing is very important, but my initial reaction in seeing it displayed is almost the same as looking at the images from space displaying light pollution.
ReplyDeleteI agree Ben, but on the other hand planners need data and maps to justify decisions such as reducing speed limits and asking for road diets. I see this issue occurring in multiple situations like mapping deaths in conflict zones, but I can't think of a way to avoid dehumanizing these issues in maps and visualizations.
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