Visual Data

Using WikiMapia, I was able to actually locate my house in Charlotte. I used different landmarks that were close to my area to get a general location, and then I could follow the streets and find it.  I can tell that the picture is still pretty old because our driveway hasn't been redone yet, and that happened a while back.  However, I don't see the functional use of WikiMapia except for the fact that anyone can edit it. 

Google Earth has a more detailed feel to it and there are many more features that can be used. With Google Earth, you not only have the capability of looking at locations on the earth, but you can also look at astronomical objects in space.  If you have a GPS system, you can actually track yourself on the map, and it can also be used for virtual tours. It even has a feature that allows you to see traffic movement at certain places.  Google Earth definitely has a high level of functionality, as it is used by many major corporations and in many different industries.  It's also something that's just cool to look at.  

I wasn't able to figure out how to use Swivel, but I did take a look at some of the data graphs that had been posted. Many of them post really obscure material, and some things that may not seem to have any correlations.  Many of them are pretty interesting, and it is also helpful how the site is able to break down each row and column.  One interesting one that I saw was a graph where somebody was recording exactly how much time they slept each night.