Circumference

Say what you will about the ol’ US of A, but they do provide reams of data. I took it for granted most of my life, but experiences in Europe, Canada, and abroad have shown just how much free, easily accessed data is available in the States – and what a difference it can make. Whether its USGS, NASA, or NOAA, if you want US data there is sure to be a heavily-acronymed  group out there with just what you need. But all the data in the world was of limited use before the internet.

The latest among a slew of cool online data tools is Abogo.  This site helps you find “how transportation impacts the affordability and sustainability of where you live” by mashing transit costs, census data, and CO2 emissions. The results are clear and high-grained, contextualizing costs and focusing on problems across the US and even providing estimates for transportation costs at any given address.

Check it out – especially if you live in the US. I’d hope to see them expand to Europe and Canada, but is this much data freely available anywhere else?

Check out the screen captures below – the gradient from cities to suburbs is shocking.

Los Angeles transport costs

New York City transport costs

Staten Island transport costs