Kram and Weisshaar fit contents of four million books into terapixel graphic

Stuttgart, February 18th, 2014 – Visitors to CeBIT’s Hall 16 are in for a one-of-a-kind experience when CODE_n opens its doors on March 10th. “We will be showcasing 50 of the most exciting big data startups, selected from among 450 international applicants, across an impressive display area measuring 5,000 square meters – a sensational backdrop which takes technological presentation to all new levels,” states Ulrich Dietz, initiator of CODE_n and CEO of the GFT Group. Internationally renowned designers Reed Kram and Clemens Weisshaar will put gigantic images on display, to demonstrate how monumental data volumes can be analyzed and visualized today. This all-new graphical representation, which highlights the information that can be obtained from all of the books published over the last 200 years, will be premiered at CODE_n.

Google has digitized four million books to date, and has made these available on the Internet. It is an immeasurable source of knowledge and information; “big data” in the truest sense. The designers Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram analyzed this vast pool of data and created an enormous graphical representation for the CODE_n show at CeBIT – a visual display that’s 89 meters wide and 12 meters high. Resolutions down to the terapixel allow the image to show unrivaled levels of detail that have never been seen before.

“Our hypergraphic displays the relative frequency of specific words that appear in all of the books that were published between 1800 and 2008,” Weisshaar explains. When did we start talking about computers? Since when have we been writing more about people and less about nature? Was John F. Kennedy really the most talked-about President as many assert? “We depict an inverted form of trend analysis by looking back at the relevance of issues in various eras,” Weisshaar states. “It gives us fascinating insights for questioning the course of our history.”

Kram and Weisshaar’s approach shows us that it has become much simpler nowadays to analyze information and connect the dots to gain new insights. Demonstrating how this idea can be implemented in the business arena falls to the 50 startups that are preparing to present themselves at the CODE_n contest at CeBIT. Their concepts will span the whole scope of big data possibilities with specific applications designed for various industries. The impressive imagery created by Kram and Weisshaar will frame these innovations in a unique way.