Time Series Mapping

Some data is best visualized on a time series map. I have been searching high and wide for a free web-based tool with an easy user interface. I have had no luck finding one to my specifications so I created a beta version to share. Not everyone should have to experience the headache that I did!

My requirements included:

1. Live animation of time series data
2. Interactivity - zoom, pan, click on points for additional data
3. Uploadable .csv data interface
4. Embeddable maps
5. Visual customization (colors, zoom levels, data, opacity)

As an example in this beta version, I used Boulder County assessor data from 2008 thru January 2010. To prevent the map from becoming too cluttered, I segmented the data by sale price category. The example below only shows sales over $800,000. Also to enhance the visualization, I set the marker opacity for each record. The oldest sales start at 40% and it goes up to 100% for the most recent sales. Thus the darker the color, the more recent the sale.

Feel free to zoom in and/or pan around the map while the visualization is paused or playing. If you want to see the entire visualization at a different zoom level, hit reset, place the map where you want, then hit play. To get more information on a property, click on the Account Number in the the description box. To open the map in a new window, click here.

Boulder Residential Sales Over $800,000 (2008 thru Jan 2010)

As mentioned previously, the data is from the Assessor's sales list. I have cleaned it up significantly and will highlight some of the intricacies of working with assessor data in an upcoming post. I used the Google Maps Flash API and Flex to create the Flash map. A PHP script on the web server parses CSV data files and feeds them to the Flash map using JSON. Talk about alphabet soup!

As this is a beta version, I welcome feedback! I will be working on an web interface for individuals to upload their own data and embed their map on their webpage - let me know if you want to try it out!