Zernium is a library for data visualization through animation.
Data points are animated and
the speed of animation represents the value of each data point.
Zernium is a non-commercial open-source project distributed with the permissive MIT License.
Movement and animation immediately capture our attention and evoke emotional responses.
This effect is rooted in evolutionary biology.
We are attuned to detect movement.
During the evolution of our species,
detecting movement was crucial for survival: movement was either a threat (predator) or an opportunity (prey).
This sensitivity means our eyes are involuntarily drawn to motion,
making animation a powerful tool that cuts through static visual clutter.
Animation facilitates a deeper emotional connection through two mechanisms:
Narrative Flow and Pacing: Static data often requires intellectual effort to piece together a story.
Instead, animation can guide the viewer's eye through a sequence,
controlling the pace, revealing data points gradually, and building tension or surprise.
This storytelling capability transforms abstract figures into a dynamic, relatable journey,
much like a well-paced movie.
Visceral Impact of Transition:
The act of seeing something change — grow, shrink, migrate, or dissolve — is inherently more impactful
than viewing "before" and "after" stills. This dynamic change creates a visceral sense of process,
impact, or consequence.
By leveraging these principles, Zernium transforms sterile facts
into compelling experiences.
It doesn't just inform the viewer's intellect;
it bridges the gap between abstract numbers and human intuition.
View the demos to learn more.
Pollution Map
Visual Elements: The core visual is an interactive map overlaid with numerous flashing circles. Each circle represents a specific pollution hotspot within the city.
Data Representation
Width (Size) of Circles: The size of a circle is directly proportional to the population impacted in that specific locale, highlighting the human scale of the issue.
Color of Circles: The color spectrum indicates the toxicity level of the pollutants. Yellow denotes areas with highly toxic agents, demanding immediate concern, while red indicates locations with lesser toxicity.
Speed of Flashing: The frequency of the flashing animation intuitively represents the concentration of the pollutant. Faster flashing signifies higher concentrations of airborne toxins, creating a sense of rapid pulse and urgency in critical zones.
By combining location, population data, toxicity, and concentration in one animated view, this visualization transforms abstract environmental data into a compelling and emotionally resonant depiction of a significant urban health challenge.
Data points in this chart have been edited for the purpose of illustration.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
This animated chart visualizes Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) across the four largest economies. Each rotating circle represents a specific country.
The speed of the circle's rotation directly correlates with the country's GDP (PPP); a faster rotation indicates a higher GDP (PPP).
The chart uses the PPP conversion factor to adjust for price level differences between countries, allowing for a more accurate volume comparison of economic output.
Automobile Manufacturers
This animated chart visualizes the annual production output of the world's largest automobile manufacturers. The speed of each circle's movement is directly proportional to the total number of automobiles manufactured by that company in a given year. Faster movement signifies higher production volume.
This visualization provides an immediate, intuitive comparison of the relative production scale and market dominance of major players in the global automotive industry.
We are grateful for the support we have received from the open-source community.
Individual Contributions:
We welcome contributions from individual developers. You may either send us a pull request
or a zip file containing your proposed enhancements ( contact[AT]zerniummail[DOT]com ).
Team Contributions:
We have had extremely productive partnerships with teams
of developers. We have found that teams offer enhancements
that are more creative and valuable.
We are using the following streamlined process to select teams:
Recruit your friends to join your team project.
The advantage of forming a team of friends
is that all of you will find it easier to work with each other.
Be sure to recruit only those who have strong technical skills.
Your team members should make a meaningful contribution to your project.
The Zernium core team will evaluate your entire team's performance
as a single unit.
The second step is to work on a simple "get to know each other" mini project.
The purpose of this mini-project is to surface any issues your team members
may have in working with each other.
A good option for this mini project is to implement a "Choose your own adventure" game
as a set of HTML pages.
A "Choose your own adventure" (CYOA) game is technically easy to implement.
Most teams enjoy this activity because it involves a lot of fun creativity.
It can serve as an effective ice-breaker for your team members to get to know each other.
During this mini-project we will suggest some reading material on soft skills.
We might interview your team members to verify their mastery of soft skills.
The third step is to work on a mini-project that demonstrates
your team's technical creativity.
We prefer to see creative projects in javascript graphics and animation.
The key feature we are looking for is innovation.
The project must have features that are unique and ingenious.
Our core-team will evaluate your work in the above process. If we determine that your team's performance in the above process matches our needs, we will accept your team's contributions for Zernium development.
Zernium is released with the open-source MIT-License. Everything you reveal to another contributor may be considered open-sourced. To retain rights over any intellectual property you own, take care to not reveal it to other contributors or team-members.
Zernium is a non-commercial open-source project.
Please avoid financial payments among contributors and team-members.
The Zernium team works remotely.
Exercise caution if you are asked to meet with other contributors in person.
When working on Zernium, it will not be necessary for you to share more than
your name, email address, and phone number with other contributors.
You may wish to slightly alter the name you reveal so that professional references
may be obtained from other team-members, yet your legal name remains private.
Please keep your residential address and workplace private.