A large proportion of the development indicators collected in the Pacific region can be displayed on a map, such as health and well being, access to employment and service provision. These datasets can vary quite markedly across countries, within countries, even within towns and cities. Visualising such information spatially tells a more powerful and compelling story when compared to the same data being hidden in cumbersome statistical tables. Additional data layers such as school locations and health facilities can be added, and satellite imagery can be used as a backdrop. PopGIS2 and PopGIS3 allow users to map their own data, as long as they match the administrative national and sub-national boundaries used in the system.
