Beautiful Flight Patterns
Data can be beautiful. UCLA designer, artist, and researcher Aaron Koblin took 24 hours' worth of air traffic data from the FAA and created mesmerizing visualizations of otherwise everyday flight activity. You can check out Koblin's collection of Flight Pattern" videos, or jump straight to a fantastic montage of several beautiful presentations (QuickTime).
Hawaii figures prominently in many of Koblin's visualizations, thanks to its significant air traffic activity and remote location. "Without geography, landmarks and patterns emerge," the video notes, highlighting activity in Hawaii and Los Angeles. Another segment tracks the volume of air traffic surging from east to west across the country as day breaks, culminating with an eruption of light in Hawaii at 7 a.m. HST.
Koblin has set up a new website to showcase his "Flight Patterns" project, and promises that fans will soon be able to buy prints of his unforgettable images. [via NPR]
