Technologies used in the Atlas of Global Inequality

The UC Atlas of Global Inequality utilizes a range of technologies that combined allow free online use of the Atlas worldwide.  The technologies include: Geographic Information Systems (GIS),  Adobe Flash (animations), Web Programming (HTML and JavaScript), SQL compliant Database and Web Database Interface programming (MySQL and PHP), BLOG software (Wordpress) and most recently internet based GIS (ArcIMS, PHP and MySQL). More detailed descriptions of some of these key technologies are included below. Question can be sent to Brian Fulfrost (fulfrost@ucsc.edu).

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

All maps generated by the Atlas team that are included online have been generated using ESRI’s ArcView software. Maps are created in ArcView, exported as EPS files and then modified in Adobe Photoshop for inclusion on the web (color corrected and formatted – see below for more details). The Atlas utilized ArcView 3.2 in the first two years and then switched to ArcView 9.2 (the most recent version). All maps generated by the Atlas team are directed under supervision of Brian Fulfrost, the GIS coordinator/lecturer at UCSC. Data is classified using a number of standard schemes, including equal interval, quintiles and natural breaks (Jencks-Turner) as well as custom schemes, such as seen in our GDP per Capita maps, where we also manually identify key thresholds (the UN standard is $1 or $2 per day, which we add specifically to the map). Atlas team members, also review the histogram of data points before choosing a classification scheme, so that once a schema is chosen, it best reflects the distribution of the data itself.  The Atlas also gives users access to dynamic user driven maps (our Make a Map  web page) utilizing ESRI’s ArcIMS technology.

Animations

In addition to the use of GIS, database and web programming, the Atlas currently utilizes Flash technologies (a product of Adobe) to develop web accessible animations. These animations have been developed with the assistance of one of UCSC’s instructional technology experts, Sheryl Martin-Schultz. The animations are used to both assist users in learning how to navigate and interact through various aspects of the site (including the database) as well as to illustrate various aspects of inequality that the Atlas team feels would be more difficult with standard text and tables.

MySQL Database

Although there are a wide arrange of data sources used in the Atlas (predominantly the World Bank, UN, WHO and the World Resources Institute), the Atlas team created a MySQL database that included a portion of the World bank’s Human Development Indicators (originally from the 2003 version) so that these data could be made available via the website. Atlas programmers spent significant time in designing an “open architecture” that was extensively normalized, designed for easy upgrades and easily transferred to other database systems.  In addition to the MySQL database itself, the Atlas team has developed a series of scripts using PERL (server side) for data updates and a database interface using PHP (server side) and JavaScript and HTML (client side) scripts.

These and other web based technologies have allowed us to provide our users a wide dynamic content (in addition to our regularly updated thematic content). These pages include: Country Pages, Database and our Make a Map web page.

The web pages produce a range of dynamic user-driven content, including downloadable reports, tables, graphs and maps, from our database.