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StatPlanet – Interactive Data Visualization through Maps and Graphs

Latest update - StatPlanet Map Maker - December 17, 2008: read more

StatPlanet is continuously being improved. Be sure to check back regularly for updates and new features. For more information, please contact

What kinds of data can be explored using StatPlanet?

The data includes demographic, educational, health and socio-economic indicators from the following sources:

More data will be added in future versions of StatPlanet. You can also add your own data using
StatPlanet - Map Maker.

StatPlanet Features & How-to

Map: (see also the Wikipedia article Thematic map)

Choropleth Map
This is the main map type in StatPlanet. The legend window in the top-right corner of the screen allows you to customize both the map colours and the map scale. To adjust the map colours click on the top, middle or bottom colour and select a new colour. To adjust the map scale, click on the top or bottom value of the value range, then use the popup to increment or decrement the value, or enter a whole new value. The intermediate values or colours will be adjusted automatically.
   
Symbol Map Icon Proportional Symbol Map
A proportional symbol map scales symbols (usually circles) according to the data they represent. To create one, click the 'proportional symbol map' button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The proportional symbol map is overlayed on top of the choropleth map. If you have bookmarked an indicator, the symbol map represents the data for the bookmarked indicator, whereas the choropleth map represents the data for the selected indicator.
   
  Select regions (e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa): use the drop-down menu in the top-right corner of the screen to select a region. You can also define a custom region using the Table.
   
  Select country on the world map
Moving the mouse over a country on the world map brings up a popup containing information about that particular country for the selected indicator (as well as the bookmarked indicator, if there is one). When a country is selected, the country data for all indicators in the current category is shown in the indicators window, along with corresponding bars. The bars are scaled in proportion to the maximum value of that particular indicator for all countries in the selected region. You can also scale the bars as a percentile by selecting 'Percentile' as the Visualization type in the options window.

See also selecting a country.
   
  National maps
In the current version only the national map for Kenya has been implemented. To see the Kenya map, click on Kenya in the worldmap view. Click on the Kenya map again to go back to the worldmap view.
   
Floppy Disk Icon Save map
You can find the save map button in the bottom-left corner of the screen (only in the online version). To change the image type, size or quality, use the options window.
   
Map controls:
  • Zoom: the map zoom controls are normally hidden from view. Move the mouse towards the bottom-right of the screen to make them appear. You can zoom in and out of the map using the 'zoom in' and 'zoom out' buttons, or by dragging the zoom slider up or down. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can also use this to zoom in and out.
  • Moving the map: click and drag the map with the mouse to move it to a new position.
  • Restore map position: the button shown on the left restores the map to the original coordinates for the selected region.

Graph window:

Bar Chart Icon Bar chart
Click the 'graph' button in the bottom-left corner of the screen to start creating graphs. You will find the same graph button in the graph window. Use this button to switch between horizontal and vertical bar charts.

Using the pull-down menu, you can sort the graph from lowest to highest, highest to lowest, highest to lowest starting in the middle, or alphabetically.
   
Scatterplot Icon Scatter Plot
To create scatter plot graphs you need to select two variables or 'indicators': (i) bookmark an indicator by clicking the 'star' button (see also Indicator window below), (ii) select another indicator, (iii) select the 'scatter plot graph' button in the graph window.

Using the pull-down menu, you can show or hide the trendline. The slope of the trendline is shown below the pull-down menu. Move the mouse over the slope to see the trendline equation. (See also the Wikipedia article Linear regression)
   
  Adjust graph scale: you can adjust the graph scale by selecting and editing the values. The graph updates as you type.


Indicators window:

Star Icon Bookmark indicator
Click the 'star' button in the indicators window to bookmark the selected indicator. This allows you to (i) create scatter plot graphs, (ii) compare the bookmarked indicator with indicators from other categories, and (iii) compare two indicators through the choropleth map (representing the selected indicator) and the proportional symbol map (representing the bookmarked indicator).
   
  Bookmark window - national map
In the national map (currently only available for Kenya), the choropleth map associated with the bookmarked indicator is displayed in the bookmark window. This allows you to compare the bookmarked map side by side with the map for the indicator selected.
   
  Indicator definitions
If a definition exists for an indicator, the definition will appear in a popup when moving the mouse over the indicator. The definition only shows for the indicator which is selected or bookmarked.

Table window:

Table Icon Click the 'table' button in the bottom-left corner of the screen to get a data table of the selected indicator. If an indicator has been bookmarked, the data for both the bookmarked and selected indicator will be displayed. The table also shows the mean, standard deviation and range.
   

Floppy Disk Icon

Copy Icon

Online version: Save / Export table
You can save the table as a .CSV file which can be opened by most spreadsheets (such as Excel). You can find the save table button in the top of the table window.

Offline version: Copy table
The offline version of StatPlanet does not allow you to save the data as a file. Instead, you can copy the entire table into Excel using the 'copy' button, and then 'paste' it in Excel. If you do not have Excel, you can also do the following: (i) paste the data into a basic text editor such as Notepad, (ii) save the document as 'data.html', (iii) open the file using your Web Browser.
   
  Define custom region
You can select more than one country in the table by holding down the 'shift' or 'ctrl' key. When you have selected the countries you are interested in, press the 'Custom Region' button as shown below.

If for example you wish to compare several African countries, you could do the following: (i) Select 'Africa' from the Region drop-down menu, (ii) open the table window, (iii) hold either 'shift' or 'ctrl' to select the countries you are interested in, (iv) press the 'Custom Region' button.

Selecting a country:
Options window:

Wrench Icon Click the 'options' button in the bottom-left corner of the screen to open the options window.
  General options:
  • Change the number of decimal places shown.
  • Adjust the map/graph scale: StatPlanet automatically adjusts the map and graph scale to suit the data set. However, in some cases you may wish to keep it fixed, for example if you made some changes to it yourself. You can set (or prevent) the automatic updating of the map/graph scale on (i) changing indicator, (ii) changing region, (iii) changing year. The default setting is for StatPlanet to adjust the scale when changing indicator or region, but not year.
    If you have chosen to not have the map scale updated, the map legend has a shortcut which you can use to 'refresh' the map legend at at any time for the current indicator, year and region:
  • Choose to view statistics as percentiles.
Customize appearance:
  • Set the animation duration
  • Change the map colours (map background, map borders, map text colour, map text outline colour, etc.)
  • Change the size of map text
  • Change the size of map symbols (for the proportional symbol map).

Save/export map: (online version only)

  • Set the image type: PNG or JPEG
  • Change the image size as % of original
  • Change the image quality (for JPEG images only)

View menu:
Move the mouse over the 'View' button to show or hide various StatPlanet components / windows.
  • Show or hide country/region names on the map or graph (country names can be shown in full, in abbreviated form or as ISO3 codes);
  • Show or hide country statistics on the map or graph (country statistics can only be shown on the horizontal bar chart);
  • Show or hide the map popup and its components - bar chart, indicator and statistic;
  • Show or hide various windows.

Customize windows:
Minus IconPlus Icon Shrink / enlarge windows: Use the buttons shown on the left to shrink or enlarge the StatPlanet windows. This may be useful for space management when you have several windows open at the same time, or to focus in on certain areas.
Minimize IconMaximize Icon Minimize / maximize windows: Use these buttons to minimize or maximize the windows. The indicators window has a special minimized state in which indicators can still be selected.

Additional notes:
FAQ


For questions or comments, see also the StatPlanet Forum.

Yes, you can create interactive maps of your own data by downloading StatPlanet - Map Maker.

The data editor can be used to import data automatically, but it can also be entered manually.

Yes, StatPlanet can be freely downloaded, copied and distributed to others. It is small enough to be sent by e-mail, although some e-mail providers (such as Gmail) do not accept programs as attachments.

Please also read the StatPlanet License.

The offline version of StatPlanet requires no installation and no additional software for it to run.
You can download StatPlanet either as a ZIP file or as an EXE file:

Link
Type
Size
EXE
3.2 MB
ZIP
1.8 MB

(For help on extracting ZIP files see this video on extracting ZIP files).

The offline version of StatPlanet has the Adobe Flash Player built in. However, the online version of StatPlanet requires Adobe Flash Player to run (version 9 or above).

Does StatPlanet need a modern PC to run? What are the system requirements?

A modern PC is not required to run StatPlanet. For a Windows PC, the minimum requirement is an Intel® Pentium® II 450MHz processor with 128 MB of RAM.

You can also use the Adobe Flash Player system requirements as a guideline.

Yes, the French and Dutch versions of StatPlanet will soon be available on this website. Versions in other languages may also be forthcoming.

The current priority is to integrate regional maps of SACMEQ member countries, but other countries will also be added eventually.

StatPlanet and DevInfo were developed for different purposes and target users. DevInfo is particularly suitable for the creation or development of visualizations for use in reports, presentations and advocacy materials, and where advanced GIS functions are required. In contrast, StatPlanet is mainly designed for the exploration of data and data visualizations through the software itself. It is designed to be used “anytime, anywhere, by anyone” regardless of technical skills, availability of Internet connectivity, and computer hardware or software. It can also be a useful tool for presentations.

About StatPlanet

StatPlanet was conceptualized and is being developed by Frank van Cappelle since 2005. Since 2008, the development of a tailored version of StatPlanet is being undertaken as part of the SACMEQ research programme at the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), UNESCO. For more details, please contact

StatPlanet Timeline & Updates