Jute Networks, LLC is an Asheville-based startup that aims at providing premium network relationships management solutions for people and business. They recently launched a freely available tool, called PublicMaps, with the intention of making it possible of people to get a clear understanding of how donations from people in Asheville (and soon, other cities) flow to political candidates.As stated by the authors, Asheville has an interesting geographic condition: the culture of downtown is in stark contrast to the surrounding areas. The downtown (zip code 28801) is very progressive, home to dozens of art galleries, independently-owned restaurants, and people of ecletic tastes and sometimes eccentric lifestyles. Ten minutes outside of town, you can find suburbia and fifteen minutes outside of town, traditionally conservative rural communities. One thing to note: downtown is not necessarily where big donors to progressive candidates live.
This visualization shows donors who have given over $1000 to Sen. Obama's campaign, and highlights those who live downtown (zip code 28801) with an orange filter. By clicking any of the donors on the map one can also disclose their relationship to their employers.
