The World Bank has just updated its World Development Indicators. Here’s an embedded data map from the site:
Internet users (per 100 people) – 2008 google.load(“visualization”, “1″, {packages: ["geomap"]}); function wb_data_visualization() { new google.visualization.Query(“http://datafinder.worldbank.org/map_xml/IT.NET.USER.P2/2008″).send(function(response) { var options = {}; options["width"] = 593; options["showLegend"] = true; new google.visualization.GeoMap( document.getElementById(“map_big”)). draw(response.getDataTable(), options); });} google.setOnLoadCallback(wb_data_visualization);

Source: World Bank Data – Internet Users

Perhaps more impressive is the dynamic data visualisation tool which allows you to see the changes over time. This can’t be embedded here but it’s definitely worth a look.

Unsurprisingly, Google has also made the Bank’s data series available in its search function. They explain how it works is here. Very simply though if you do a search which can take advantage of the data set made available by the World Bank the results will include a visual. Here is an example where I search for stats on internet use in the UK:

Interestingly, clicking on the link I can then get a link which will update automatically every time new data is added to the data set. So, the visual below will automatically update.

[googleapps domain="www" dir="publicdata/embed" query="ds=wb-wdi&met=it_net_user_p2&idim=country:GBR&tstart=631152000000&tunit=Y&tlen=18" width="400" height="325" /]

These are simple to use resources for the comprehensive visualisation of complex data sets and valuable assets to any argument you are putting forward.