This is pretty awesome and beautiful. MOAR countries please! Reminds me of the aesthetics of some work years ago by Stamen and über map geek Aaron Straup Cope.
These images are drawn from a huge database that Microsoft released to the public this year. The company’s computer engineers trained a neural network to analyze satellite imagery and then to trace the shapes of buildings across the country. Such information has been available before in some places, but this is the first comprehensive database covering the entire United States.
We found fascinating patterns in the arrangements of buildings. Traditional road maps highlight streets and highways; here they show up as a linear absence.
These are also great: These Satellite Images Reveal Cities in Extraordinary Detail.