World Bank Launches e-Atlas of Global Development

The World Bank today launched the e-Atlas of Global Development, a free, online, interactive tool, which maps and graphs more than 175 indicators from the World Bank’s development database. The launch coincides with the release of a new print edition of the Atlas of Global Development, a concise and up-to-date reference for journalists, teachers, students, and anyone interested in better understanding today’s critical development issues

Developed in collaboration with HarperCollins, the e-Atlas of Global Development allows users to easily and quickly map and chart economic and social indicators and compare country outcomes. Users can export customized, professional quality, full color maps and graphs. Other features include scalable maps, timeline graphing, ranking tables, and import and export functions for sharing data and graphics. Critical issues such as poverty, food production, population growth, climate change, international trade, and foreign direct investment are covered.The e-atlas can be found at data.worldbank.org/atlas-global.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to display and disseminate our data”, said Carlos Rossel, Publisher at the World Bank. “Our atlases are evolving with the times and with the changing needs of our users. This new e-Atlas is a powerful visualization tool for anyone interested in learning more about the state of our world”

The e-Atlas of Global Development is a practical companion to the World Bank’s popular Atlas of Global Development, now in its third edition. Co-published with HarperCollins, the new edition has been completely revised and updated, presenting a comprehensive overview of the world and its people at the start of the 21st century. Every topic is presented through easy-to-read graphical presentations including colorful world maps, charts, tables, graphs, photographs and web addresses of additional data sources.

“The launch of the e-Atlas is an important contribution to the World Bank’s Open Data Initiative”, said Shaida Badiee, Director of the World Bank’s Data Group. “Not only are we making our data available for free and without restriction, but we are creating an innovative way for people to instantly see changes in the world over time.”

Both atlases draw on a global database compiled from the work of the World Bank, other international agencies, and national statistical offices of World Bank member countries.

For more information, and to access World Bank Data, please visit http://data.worldbank.org/e-atlas-of-global-development-released.

For more information on the e-Atlas of Global Development, please visit data.worldbank.org/atlas-global.