2024 was a record-breaking year at SparkMap! More of you joined SparkMap to understand and improve your communities than ever before, the SparkMap team introduced a new Map Room interface, and we created more streamlined and innovative tools to enhance your experience. While SparkMap grew and changed this year, one thing remained the same: our…
Introduction Commuting has important implications for our health, environment, and economy as discussed in a previous blog post. To follow up on the previous piece, this post further explores commuting patterns by taking a closer look at commuting distances. We will highlight some new analyses and modeling done on publicly available commuting data to learn…
A record number of maps and Community Needs Assessments were created on SparkMap in 2023. Read more to learn about the top 5 layers and indicator categories utilized.
What is broadband and how can you learn more about it on SparkMap? In this blog post we walk you through defining broadband, understanding how a broadband connection is impacted, and using broadband data on SparkMap.
Two important criteria for Digital Nomads include reliable broadband access and affordable housing. In this blog post, learn more about how you can use the SparkMap Map Room to find communities that meet these criteria.
Earlier this month, we wrote a blog highlighting four tips to reduce individual stress for yourself and your community members. Learning to manage stress is important, but understanding determinants of stress helps inspire long-term solutions. As National Stress Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to bring attention to a few determinants of stress…
April is interesting. On one hand, many parts of the United States are emerging from winter, the sun is out, and spring flowers are blooming. On the other hand, taxes are due, the traditional school year is ending, and work deadlines feel like they’re piling up. It seems like no coincidence that April is National…
The National Commodity Crop Productivity Index 3.0 is an invaluable tool to evaluate soil productivity. In this blog we discuss background information on the index, reasons to use it, and how to interpret it in our Map Room.
Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse? Using the Map Room, chart your route to the nearest hospital, supermarket, drug stores, and warehouse stores to ensure you can get supplies. Find out how!
In this blog we discuss history of data visualization with a particular focus on the fascinating work of W.E.B. Du Bois.