For many of us, the combination of economic data plus policy recommendations is the literary equivalent of NyQuil. Unfortunately, good research generally requires the presentation of both data and analysis. So how do we researchers and writers solve this problem? Increasingly, the answer is short and sweet: map it.

The Inter-American Development Bank has taken the mapping lesson to heart. Economists at IDB use maps to illustrate the massive amount of remittances flowing into Latin America. The remittance mapping project started a few years ago with a simple PDF graphic, and has since evolved into a stunning web site, complete with Flash animation and easy interactivity. That’s just one example – others are using maps to great effect.