Roads to Rome

Data visualization project exploring the idiom “All roads lead to Rome”. 2015 401 ppmAA
486.713 routes to Rome, 120cm × 80cm, lambda print / interactive web map

“Roads to Rome” is a data visualization project exploring the idiom “all roads lead to Rome”. The outcome is both information visualization and data art and unveils mobility patterns at a very large scale.

The visualizations were created using routing algorithms on existing street infrastructure from city to continent scale. The resulting images bring insights into the ways in which road infrastructure reflect regional, political and geographical situations.

The project page (unfortunately no longer online) came with detailed information, interactive maps, and an “explore” app.

Roads to Rome is in the permanent collections of the Ars Electronica Center Linz and the Artis Groote Museum Amsterdam

Routes to the closest national capital from anywhere in Europe
Routes to the closest U.S. city named Rome from anywhere in the U.S.
Interactive visualization web app generating a mobility “fingerprint” around a selected location
”Mobility Fingerprint”, Berlin
“Mobility Fingerprint”, San Francisco
”Mobility Fingerprint”, Tokyo

Credits

Concept/Idea: Benedikt Groß and Philipp Schmitt
Programming/GIS: Benedikt Groß, Philipp Schmitt and Raphael Reimann
Documentation/Text: Philipp Schmitt and Raphael Reimann
Map data: OpenStreetMap
Routing Engine: GraphHopper
Geospatial Analysis: turf.js
Interactive Maps leaflet.js, mapbox GL JS and tippecanoe
Backend/Tooling: node.js and mongoDB