The makers of an iPhone app that tracks exercise have transformed big data into beautiful GIF maps:
Using data collected from the Human smartphone app, major urban centres such as
London, New York and Amsterdam have been drawn with pixels created by the movement of inhabitants that use the app. “We visualised 7.5 million miles of activity in major cities all across the globe to get an insight into Human activity,” said the team. “Walking, running, cycling, and motorised transportation data tell us different stories.”
The iPhone app was originally designed to encourage users to undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Using the phone’s location services and movement sensors while sat in a pocket or bag, it records the wearer’s type of movement and tots up the amount of activity completed. … As well as the city maps, the information was also used to rank the cities in percentage order of their residents’ most common means of transport. Amsterdam topped the list for cycling, Washington for walking, Berlin for running and Los Angeles for motorised transport.
Mark Byrnes recommends the video visualization seen below the jump:
The city-by-city results are perhaps most fascinating when viewed as a video. Displaying minute-by-minute data from each location, Human shows how the volume of movement around different parts of each place changes throughout the day:
The Dish 