The New York Times has published a spectacular mapping and data project to show the extent of flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the winter, spring, and summer of 2019.
Sarah Almukhtar, Blacki Migliozzi, John Schwartz, and Josh Williams are credited on the byline for an interactive feature that is a stunning piece of mapping and data reporting.
"The year's flooding across the Midwest and the South affected nearly 14 million people, yet the full scale of the slowly unfolding disaster has been difficult to fathom," according to the blurb that introduces the map. "To visualize just how extensive it was, The New York Times created this composite map showing all the areas that were inundated at some point from January to June."
Satellite data is used to show the extent of flooding compared to the usual edges of rivers. Farms that had to delay planting are also shown on the map, along with tags to document property destruction.
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