The Times-Picayune isn’t the greatest paper in the world, but they produce some of the best animated graphics around using Flash (see the Katrina timeline). They have done it again with a graphic of the Louisiana coastal erosion by Dan Swenson. Warning: It’s got sound, and is about 7 minutes long, but worth it.
It’s amazing to see what the coast looks like now, compared to what we see on every map of Louisiana, including the official state tourism map. The state should really update the map with what the coast actually looks like now, it might help people realize the severity of the coastal erosion. Here’s an image I grabbed from the T-P that shows what the coast looked like in 2005:
A little bit different than the traditional map we always see, which comes from the 1930s:
For another example, search for Old Lady Lake in Google Maps. Take a not of the shape of De la Valle and the Fomation Islands. Then hit the satellite button on the top right of the map. A little bit different….
I played with this yesterday – the Times-Picayune is quite good at Flash. I was amazed at how fast New Orleans could be separated from open water only by levees.
Fantastic post. I love this guy…he’s doing it all on his own here, and it’s super informative. Praise him!