Real-time statistics – Worldometers

Today I have been preparing for the start of our school year next week. I have been going through files and clearing out old data files, reading and commenting on blogs that I have neglected reading over the last 6-7 weeks.

I made quite a mess and filled up the bins. I still have a lot more files to go through but still it was a start. It was interesting looking at some of the information that was once used often but is now out of date or has been superseded. In fact, as we all know,  the information available to us is growing amazingly fast.

This leads me mention to an interesting little tool called Worldometers, world statistics updated in real time. Have a look and see the birth and death rates click over regularly.

The site divides the statistics up into different areas: world population, government and economics, society and media, environment, food, water, energy and health.

The watching the information change, sometimes so fast it is only a blur, makes you  very aware of the global picture. You can easily find the sources for the information, and the links are available for anyone to follow up the information. 

Worldometers is part of the Real Time Statistics Project, which is managed by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers with the goal of making world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format to a wide audience around the world.
Sources are carefully selected to include only data published by the most reputable organizations and statistical offices in the world.
The counters that display the real-time numbers are based on Worldometers’ algorithm that processes the latest and most accurate statistical data available together with its estimated progression to compute the current millisecond number to be displayed on each counter based on the specific time set on each visitor’s computer clock.

I like the idea of providing out students with world statistics, available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format, and having them realise that Australia is part of a very large and diverse world.