During the chaotic hours after the Mariner Energy oil rig caught fire on September 2, 2010, news media outlets were tweeting and posting online the latest news they received as they got it. Culture Map Houston posted this graphic that notes where this oil rig fire is (on the left with the blue line) compared to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and leak. They also posted with the graphic the first picture of the fire (link). This was the first graphic I saw of where the rig is located and it is quoted as "Courtesy of Shane/Google Maps". The audience for this graphic would be anyone who is following the news of the fire.
I think this is not the strongest graphic but due to the breaking news aspect, it is good. To make it stronger, I would have liked the image to be zoomed in more. None of the words on the map are readable and the graphic cannot be clicked on to be made larger. Because I cannot read the words, my main landmark is the "boot" of Louisiana.
I think the graphic could also be enhanced if the date and time of explosion were noted next to both fire icons. Also, more information, like a timeline of the events that is update as new information rolls in, would make the graphic convey more information. The graphic could be made interactive if the reader clicked on the fire icon and it took them to the timeline of events.
I understand in the haste of the breaking news it was difficult to gather lots of information and make a complicated graphic. I was happy to finally see a map that told me where the rig was located.
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