Colorful Data Art: Three Maps That Show the World in Full Spectrum

Our black-and-white maps draw the world one dataset at a time. The Spectrum collection does the opposite: it uses the full range of color to show how varied the planet really is. Here are three of its stories.

1. The Arctic, in every shade of blue

THE WORLD AS BATHYMETRY – ocean depths with the Arctic at the center.

Bathymetry is the measurement of ocean depth. This map combines data from NASA, NOAA and IBCAO to render the sea floor in extraordinary detail – and out of sheer love for the region, we placed the Arctic at its heart. Land is left colorless; the ocean does all the talking.

2. The world's forests

THE WORLD AS FOREST – 31% of Earth's land, seen from space.

Forests cover just over 4 billion hectares and host more than half of the world's land-based plant and animal species. This map draws their location and density from satellite data – the deeper the green, the denser the forest. The Amazon, the Congo basin and the Siberian taiga dominate the print like green continents of their own.

3. Where humanity lives

THE WORLD AS POPULATION DENSITY – how many people live in each square kilometer.

Population density mapped at one-kilometer resolution reveals humanity's true footprint: Asia glowing dense, Australia nearly invisible except for its coastline, and everywhere the same pattern – people cluster where water, coastlines and fertile land meet.

Data as art

Every Spectrum print is drawn from peer-reviewed scientific data and printed on premium paper in 70x50 cm and 100x70 cm. Explore the full Spectrum collection – or see how the same world looks in black and white in Minimal.