A new Google web application helps visualise complex water data. Google Labs has launched Fusion Tables, a new online research and data organising tool that makes it easier to share and visualise digital science and technical archives. Google engineers have used sample research data about the global fresh water crisis provided by the Pacific Institute and Circle of Blue to showcase the new tool.

Journalists from Circle of Blue wanted to understand the influence of per capita income and the availability of tap water on the incidence of child mortality worldwide from diarrhoea. Circle of Blue merged Pacific Institute data in the Fusion Table Gallery with data sets from the Internet. Fusion Tables created a scatter plot that revealed a noticeable and predictable correlation of death by water-related illness, wealth and safe drinking water availability. As the gross domestic product per capita increased, the percentage of a country’s population connected to tap water increased, and child deaths related to diarrhoea decreased.

Web site: Fusion Tables

Related news: Micro Mapper: participatory tool for mapping poverty and (water) resources, Source South Asia, 29 May 2009

Contact: Circle of Blue, USA, info@circleofblue.org, http://www.circleofblue.org/

Source: Aubrey Parker, Circle of Blue, 16 Jun 2009

Tags: information and communication, water resources management, water-related diseases