A perfect example of data that is beautiful, interactive, and informative.

It's a simple idea. Measure the air quality. Launch a gigantic balloon that's color indicates the quality (red=bad, green=good). Let tourists go for a ride.

The balloon displays two measurements of air quality using Airparif’s data. Firstly, the ambient air quality is indicated by the color of the balloon, using three projectors that are located upon the envelope’s equatorial plane, providing good night-time visibility. Secondly, air quality near major traffic junctions is indicated using a high-power rotating laser beam that sweeps the lower half of the envelope.

The environmentally friendly design is based on the Archimedes principle, and can lift up to 30 passengers (about 2.5 tones), without any noise or shaking, to an altitude of 150 meters above the city. Using an innovative lighting system it can be seen from more than 20 km.

- Ecofriend

CARMA (Carbon Monitoring for Action) uses a similar data visualization idea. In their case, color indicates the amount of CO2 generated by a power plant, power company, or region.

via: The Hot Strudel Flakes