Gapminder Desktop

It's pretty difficult to get an overview of an idea compared to others, seeing how the world's population is increasing. You can't just go about asking, so you might consider looking up info stored in graphs. Why Gapminder Desktop comes in handy is that you instantly gain access to nearly everything there is to know about your surroundings, displayed in graphs.

Even though the application is dependent of sources to represent a graphical interpretation of data, it already comes equipped with a solid database. This comes in handy because you can use the application on computers with slow or no Internet connection whatsoever.

Nearly every aspect of the application can be tweaked and customized, in terms of representation and visualization. You can select horizontal and vertical info to be a guideline for axes, as well as the algorithm used to generate and distribute the result, which can be either linear or logarithmic. What's more, elements displayed have a customizable size, as well as color for better understanding.

What's more, you gain access to a map view that displays the same data, but spread across a globe to better view each country's statistics. Depending on the info you're looking for, a timeline lets you navigate around two hundred years back in time and even hit a “Play” button to automatically display chronological changes.

The application comes equipped with a breathtaking amount of graphs created for nearly all domains. These can be found in a list, categorized in climate, disasters, economy, education, poverty, technology and more, each with specific fields and info of interest.

However, you can create your own graph based on available fields and online sources. These can be saved in a custom list that can easily be managed. Unfortunately, there are no exporting options whatsoever, strictly limiting you to informative tasks.

All things considered, Gapminder Desktop is a powerful representation tool that can provide neat visual support for your projects or work. There's still some room for improvement, with no possibility to access your personal data online or upload it, as well as the lack of exporting options, but it's worth a try.