Cartogram

As explained in D3.js in Action, Third Edition

A cartogram is a map that deliberately distorts the area or length of geographic objects to encode another variable.

A cartogram deliberately distorts the area or length of geographic objects to encode another variable. Countries may bulge or shrink according to population, while streets may change length according to driving time. section 13.6.6

D3 provides no simple built-in functions for creating cartograms, so a visualization can rely on an external library such as Matt Dzugan’s World Population Cartogram. section 13.6.6

Figure 13.21 Cartogram created by Matt Dzugan where the countries are sized by their population (Source: http://mng.bz/GZd8)

Use the population cartogram to see geographic areas reshaped so their sizes communicate population rather than physical area. section 13.6.6

How D3.js in Action, Third Edition covers it

How deep it goes

Defines area and length distortion and points to external libraries, but stops short of a D3 construction procedure.

Examples

Shows streets sized by driving time and countries reshaped by population, including a World Population Cartogram.

What you can do after

Apply it via an external cartogram library to encode population or travel time geographically.

How it connects

Connects geographic maps with population, travel time, D3, and external visualization libraries.

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Related concepts

• D3.jscontrasts with · D3.js is an open-source JavaScript library for binding data to documents and creating dynamic, interactive visualizations in web browsers.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of D3.js in Action, Third Edition. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.