This prototype shows the daylight hours for the 1st and 15th of each month over the span of one year. I split the globe into 5-degree latitude bands and exported the JSON from these polygons from ArcGIS Pro, then I used ArcGIS Maps for Adobe for creating this 34-color hue palette. Then I animated all of it in Adobe After Effects This is a prototype; eventually map readers will be able to know how many hours of daylight apply to each color, along with additional data visualization elements.
Why did I make this? Well, spring is my absolute favorite season (I live close to the 49th parallel). I find it incredibly magical when the trees wake up with new buds, flowers pop out of the ground and migratory birds return. I made this map themed after my favorite of the returning birdsongs, the Swainson’s Thrush. Part of what makes spring so wonderful is the returning daylight. Days get longer, weather gets a little warmer, and things in my rainy part of the world get a bit brighter. In the dark days of winter, I find myself counting down to the day when the sun will set after 5:00 pm. In short, I felt the need to visualize this annual cycle.