Atlas

The Cobalt Supply Chain

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:03:58 -0500

Tools: HTML, CSS, Vanilla Javascript (with modules like leaflet)

For more than a century, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been foundational in the development of modern technologies.

Rubber for car tires, copper for electrical wiring, and even the uranium used in the Manhattan Project—all of them came from the mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet, very little of material benefit from these resources has ever trickled down to its people.

Mapping Household Wealth in Kathmandu

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:03:58 -0500

Tools: Python, R

Statistically speaking, Nepal is a poor country. It ranks 180/222 in terms of GDP per capita 1, ranking well behind other post-conflict nations of Kosovo(132) and Laos (153). 23.8% of the adult population are illiterate and 2 and 41.9% of households sleep under roofs of galvanized tin sheets 3.

Almost 42% of the Nation’s populations lives in housing made out of galvanized steel. Source: 2021 Nepal Census

However, such reality seems extremely far away in the capital city of Kathmandu where Teslas frequent the roads. Kathmandu’s prosperity isn’t new and stems from a list of historic and geographic factors. Situated at 4.6K ft above sea level, the Kathmandu valley is a large swath of fertile flatland in the mountainous Himalayan Range4. Due to this geographic advantange, the region has been continously settled for at least 2000 years 5. The large settlements attracted more people and soon Kathmandu found itself as an important trading hub, linking the India-Tibet land route 6. Kings built roads, waterworks, and schools; merchants traded gold, spices and silk; while pilgrims spread art, region and philosophy. Consequentialy, Kathmandu and its residents grew rich while its surrounding countryside languished into subsistence farming.

About

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:04:02 -0500

Hi👋

I'm Avani, a technologist passionate about leveraging spatial data to address our most pressing challenges.

The individual person thinks in terms of space.

Spatial data can help uncover unique insights on transit, consumer behaviour, public health, supply chains, and labour markets through a people-first lens.

This is my personal website where I document my own learnings about our world. I am very grateful to all that are taking their time to view my work—please feel free to direct any feedback, suggestions, or thoughts to my email.

Spotspotter: A Parking Finder

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:52:04 -0500

Tools: HTML, CSS, Vanilla Javascript (with modules like leaflet and chart.js)

As you circle around the block for the 5th time searching for an empty parking spot, don’t you think—wow, I wish there could be an easier option?

Spotspotter is an interactive, crowdsourced parking finder that seeks to solve this information gap in Sacramento.

Enter a location and a time slot to see all the available parking within walking distance.

The Coal Plants Powering America

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:52:04 -0500

Tools: R

As of 2025, there are still 200 power plants across the United States that are powered by coal. While these facilities fulfill the important purpose of balancing electrical loads, their negative impacts on both human health and the environment are well documented. The map below visualizes the location of active coal power plants across the United States, with a 10-mile radius marked around each facility to illustrate the areas most directly affected by their emissions.