Zaru is a new system for creating real-time spatial dashboards. Zaru uses video-gaming techniques and a novel method of encoding data in images to enable real-time compositing and visualization of potentially giant data sets. This solution was initially developed by design firm Sasaki as a better way to understand the relationship between urban amenities and the people who can access them. The platform is powerful and scalable, but requires no back-end infrastructure to run. As a solution for data sharing and visualization it has broad potential and room for creativity - making it ideal for the FOSS community.

As big data and interactive visualizations gain popularity, there is an increasing need to quickly manipulate and represent massive datasets within the browser. The scale of these datasets challenges existing solutions requiring complex and unsatisfactory work-arounds to deliver a smooth user-experience.

Data tiles are images that contain data encoded in their pixels. Tiled using the standard web tile schema, they can provide instant access to numerous spatial data layers at a practically unlimited scale. Web-based "slippy" maps already take advantage of tiled imagery, and we routinely load and navigate “datasets” composed of trillions of data points (pixels) in our browsers. By simply modifying the images to contain raw data instead of visual imagery, data tiles let us browse and use data effortlessly at any scale. Our “GeoPngDB” format builds on existing solutions to provide a browser-friendly way of encoding raw data for consumption by web-based tools.

When designers think through a design, most reach for a pencil. Today it might be a $100 digital pencil, but the direct expression offered by sketch tools can offer an advantage over more sophisticated tools: it frees us from the burden of thinking about how to use the tool at hand, and lets us focus mental energy on the problem. What if we could bring the same simplicity to exploring spatial models? PaintTheMap is a web-based tool that provides a simple interface for rapidly testing ideas connected to data: sketch a quick idea and you’ll get instant feedback on the areas you’ve painted. Each paint color can be classified (eg. land use categories) and measurements are updated in real time.