These days I’ve been thinking more about the disparity in the world between rich and poor, and I was reminded that Alpha can help us along the way:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=infant+mortality+in+africa
I think a query like this is a great example of how Alpha helps us dig into data and understand the world, and the visuals this query gives back are great.
It’s also a reminder that Alpha can help us along the way of making the world a better place.
Comparing different geographic regions can further highlight these disparities, for example:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=compare+the+average+infant+mortality+in+asia%2C+africa+and+europe
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=compare+economic+aid+for+Haiti%2C+North+Korea%2C+Myanmar%2C+and+Guinea+Bissau
Income inequality is another good place to look. Ask about the Gini index (click the “definition” popup for an explanation), or even more specifically about something like the income share held by the top 20% in all countries.
Or the data we’ve pulled in from the American Community Survey lets you explore this topic pretty deeply within the US
income distribution in Roberts County vs Owsley County
states with more than 20% of women living in poverty
and so on.