go-cart.io: a web application for generating contiguous cartograms

Abstract

Cartograms are maps in which the areas of regions (e.g. states, provinces) are rescaled to be proportional to statistical data (e.g. population size, gross domestic product). Such maps are an invaluable addition to a professional geographer’s toolbox. Until now, the creation of contiguous cartograms has been far from user-friendly, requiring computer skills that even experts in data visualization typically do not possess. To remove these hurdles, we have recently developed the web application go-cart.io with an interface that is easy to use, even for non-experts.