maps

Checking out Mongabay.com, I came across a very cool application of Google Earth to see the levels of deforestation across the world, including short data sheets per country. So you can quickly see that Malaysia has lost over 6% of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005 (according to different data sources), while China has increased its own by 25% over the same period of time.

The nicer discovery, though, were the other maps the same developer, David Tryse, has been creating on environmental issues (check them all out in his website): the top 100 most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammal and amphibian species, 34 biodiversity hotspots according to Conservation International, and protected area networks --or national parks-- worldwide, among others.

Note that the sources of data are rather varied. To view and explore the maps, you need to download Google Earth and install it in your computer, save the KML file/s provided for each map (KML is a file format used to display geographic data), and open them from Google Earth. At the bottom of that list of maps, you will find a link to download all files at once if you want, and you can also subscribe to updates for new maps that David may come up with.

The World Bank released a couple of days ago a new interactive database on trade, the World Trade Indicators. It allows benchmarking and comparison among 210 countries and customs territories, and it includes multiple trade-related indicators. The data comes from the International Trade Centre (ITC), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Bank itself. Take a look at the intro page to find your way around all the options, or go straight to the sections dedicated to country rankings, country snapshots, country or overtime comparisons, or maps generated with your selected indicators.

BusinessWeek reports that an annual study by one of Europe's top business schools indicates that Asian economies are overtaking the U.S. and Northern Europe to become the most competitive in the world. Singapore, in position #2, trails the U.S., but the author of the report expects it to take the top spot next year.

The 20th World Competitiveness Yearbook, released May 15 by IMD business school in Lausanne, Switzerland, also points to the fact that Asia has proven relatively immune to the U.S. financial crisis. Also, among the top 20 economies out of the 55 ranked, those in Asia-Pacific posted the greatest gains compared with last year. A few examples: Malaysia climbed four spots to #19, Thailand rose six spots, and the Philippines went up five (see all rankings here).

The World Bank's EdStats (Education Statistics) collects worldwide data on education from national statistical reports, statistical annexes of new publications, and other data sources. The database has just been updated and its Query tool offers preliminary education indicators for the 2006 school year (with new imput from 93 countries) and the 2007 school year (nine countries).

Check out the interactive Query tool to customize reports by country (or group of countries), choosing from more than 100 indicators over many years. And put your results in a chart or map that you can export to use in your own documents and reports.

The IFC's Rapid Response Unit that is behind the successful Doing Business map has expanded on it and created Business Planet, adding info from their other databases: enterprise surveys (70,000 firms in 104 countries), privatization transactions, and trends in private infrastructure projects.