OT: Software for specific visualisation of data...ideas?

Dear List,

A student in the Department where I work would like to produce a graphic
similar to this one:

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2009/09/16/Public_spending_160909.pdf

Does anyone know if the figure in the pdf can be generated in a specific
software application for example? Any suggestions would be most
gratefully received by the student concerned.

Many thanks,

G

Thank you to everyone who replied with suggestions to my OT email.

I think the student was looking for something that would take the data
and produce suitably scaled blobs for him, rather than some graphics
design package. We both seem to recall seeing something like this on a
website or similar, but perhaps that was some other data visualisation
tool for some other geographic data...

As for the appropriateness (or lack there of) of the relative areas for
conveying the data - yep, you are preaching to the converted there. I
got the impression the student wanted a "colorful display that will grab
readers' attention" (Gunter, pers. comm. 2010) rather than the most
appropriate data visualisation technique.

I'll pass all your comment on to the student.

On his, and my, behalf thank you.

All the best,

G

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 Dr. Gavin Simpson             [t] +44 (0)20 7679 0522
 ECRC, UCL Geography,          [f] +44 (0)20 7679 0565
 Pearson Building,             [e] gavin.simpsonATNOSPAMucl.ac.uk
 Gower Street, London          [w] http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfagls/
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