As a general rule, we don’t pay much attention to how often the world’s airlines transport on every given day. You can see how all 3200 airports & 60,000 routes around the world are connected in a cool animated visualisation now.
Data visualisation designer as well as programmer Martin Grandjean from Switzerland came up with the idea for this visualisation, which aims to draw attention away from geography and instead concentrate on how everything connected in the vast complex network which makes up the global airline infrastructure works together. On his website, Grandjean writes:
Maps have always existed in the form of networks. Europe is a dense area on a world map, making it nearly impossible to differentiate the dots/airports on a map of Europe. Finally, these maps don’t actually reflect the data itself, but instead give a sense of their intricacy and volume.
A “little world network” despite its enormous size. With a small number of key long-range links, you can ensure optimal performance in any small-world network, whether you’re delivering data or transporting people or even distributing a virus.
There are many tiny local links and a few large highly connected hubs in the airline network, which provide those essential longer connections. We’re normally able to fly from one city to another in two or three flights, depending on the destination.
