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Beautiful Public Data
@beautifulpublicdata.com
150 followers 14 following 220 posts
A curated selection of visually interesting datasets collected by local, state and federal government agencies. By @Jonkeegan.com

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beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 San Diego Photologs from the 1970s

A collection of beautiful, high-resolution photolog scans reveals a colorful world of pastel-colored cars and whimsical signage.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/san-diego-photologs-from-the-1970s
A dashcam view of a tree-lined residential street labeled "L J SHORES DR S/B" on a foggy morning, with a vintage car parked on the right side and timestamp visible at the bottom. # Alt Text: Dashboard camera view of Torrey Pines Road showing a multi-lane street with eucalyptus trees, clear blue sky, and light traffic during daytime. # Alt Text Description A comprehensive grid displaying approximately 120 classic and vintage automobiles arranged by dominant color, progressing from white and cream tones at the top through yellows, greens, blues, and purples to deep reds # Alt Text A vintage white Volkswagen Beetle parked on a tree-lined street marked "SCHOOL" in Chatsworth, with other vehicles visible in the distance under a clear sky.
August 31, 2026 at 4:17 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
NEW: BPD Field Notes – a mix of some weirdo datasets that have lingered in my story idea spreadsheet for a while, fun data nuggets, and a story from the archive. This week: crocheted halibuts, old Yosemite photos, and judge portraits. Sign up! www.beautifulpublicdata.com/email/3e9f15...
an old black and white photo looking out on Yosemite valley in winter a hand holding up a crocheted halibut a quilt of photo portraits of judges
August 24, 2026 at 3:54 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 WWII Japanese Mass Incarceration Collections

Haunting photos document a shameful chapter of America's history—the forced displacement and incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/wwii-japanese-mass-incarceration-collections
# Alt Text Black and white portrait photograph of an Asian man wearing glasses and a collared shirt, looking directly at the camera in a formal headshot style. # Alt Text A black and white photograph showing a man in a white shirt holding a small child by the hands in a desert settlement, with mountains and buildings visible in the background. # Alt Text A crowded scene at a train station platform with numerous passengers carrying luggage and suitcases, standing beneath a covered wooden structure with support columns, circa mid-20th century. # Alt Text A man in a light-colored work shirt smiles at the camera while holding a paintbrush and working on calligraphic lettering or artwork at a wooden desk in a workshop setting.
August 21, 2026 at 4:10 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
NEW POST: ⚓️ From SEA SLUT II to BILBOAT BAGGINS, a deep dive into AIS vessel data turns up 50,000 boat names packed with nautical puns, dirty jokes, and Tolkien deep cuts. 📊

Includes a fun searchable interactive to look through the data.

www.beautifulpublicdata.com/boat-names/
50,000 boat names
From SEA SLUT II to BILBOAT BAGGINS, a deep dive into AIS vessel data turns up 50,000 boat names packed with nautical puns, dirty jokes, and Tolkien deep cuts.
www.beautifulpublicdata.com
August 10, 2026 at 12:02 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The footprints of every building in NYC

The landscape of NYC changes so much that the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation updates a dataset of building footprint shapes weekly.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/the-footprints-of-every-building-in-nyc
# Alt Text A detailed blue and white architectural floor plan or site map showing building footprints, interior layouts, streets, and urban spaces from an overhead perspective. # Alt Text A thermal or heat map satellite image of an urban area showing buildings and infrastructure in yellow and cyan against dark purple water or vegetation, with green pathways and roads connecting the developed zones. # Alt Text A thermal or satellite map view of an urban area rendered in vibrant neon colors, showing dense residential and commercial zones in yellow and cyan surrounding a darker central park or green space, with roads and infrastructure highlighted in green. # Alt Text: Thermal or infrared satellite map of an urban city showing buildings and streets in varying shades of cyan, yellow, and purple, representing different heat signatures and land use patterns.
August 6, 2026 at 11:48 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 NASA Ames Research Center Archives

In the heart of Silicon Valley, NASA Ames Research Center has the world's largest wind tunnel, and a rich history of space and aeronautics innovation captured in a fascinating visual archive.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/nasa-ames-research-center-archives
# Alt Text A NASA/Army Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter (tail number 737) in flight against a blue sky with a blue and white livery. # Alt Text A retro-style astronaut suit displayed from behind, featuring a white and red design with a spherical helmet, padded limbs, red accent bands, and an umbilical cord attachment, set against a dark background # Alt Text A NASA illustration depicting the Space Shuttle docked to the International Space Station in orbit above Earth, showing the shuttle's cargo bay, solar panels, and various modules of the station against the blue curve of the planet. # Alt Text: An older man in khaki clothing stands inside a large aircraft fuselage, inspecting a scale model of a passenger jet mounted on a central pole, with the plane's engines and fuselage visible in the background.
August 6, 2026 at 3:35 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
Added more USGS geologic map state T-shirts!
jonkeegan.com Jon Keegan @jonkeegan.com · Aug 4
I've been adding these USGS geologic map state T-shirts to my shop. So far: New York, California, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Maine. In light + dark colors. Free shipping at 15% off: shop.beautifulpublicdata.com/discount/BSK...

About the map www.beautifulpublicdata.com/usgs-coopera...
August 4, 2026 at 4:44 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Trademark Design Codes

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with "Rickshaws", "Centaurs" or "Mechanical w…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/uspto-trademark-design-codes
Trademark Design Codes
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with “Rickshaws”, “Centaurs” or “Mechanical women”.
beautifulpublicdata.com
August 3, 2026 at 4:52 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The GOES-16 Weather Satellite

Satellites used to observe weather are so ubiquitous it is easy to take them for granted. GOES-16 is worthy of your attention.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/the-goes-16-weather-satellite
The GOES-16 Weather Satellite
Satellites used to observe weather are so ubiquitous it is easy to take them for granted. GOES-16 is worthy of your attention.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 31, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Beautiful Public Data
jonkeegan.com
NEW POST! 🏙️

The landscape of NYC changes so much that the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation updates a dataset of building footprint shapes weekly. I can’t believe this is the first NYC dataset I have written about. www.beautifulpublicdata.com/the-footprin...
July 20, 2026 at 12:18 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The Naughty Words the FAA Removed From the Sky

New FOIA records from the FAA shed light on the frantic effort in 2015 to rename navigation waypoints related to Donald Trump and reveal the list of naughty…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/trump-naughty-faa-waypoints
The Naughty Words the FAA Removed From the Sky
New FOIA records from the FAA shed light on the frantic effort in 2015 to rename navigation waypoints related to Donald Trump and reveal the list of naughty waypoint names that were changed over the years.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The United States Frequency Allocation Chart

This crazy, beautiful chart illustrates the incredible complexity of managing one of our nation's most crucial – and invisible – nation…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/the-united-states-radio-frequency-allocation-chart
The United States Frequency Allocation Chart
This crazy, beautiful chart illustrates the incredible complexity of managing one of our nation’s most crucial – and invisible – national assets: the radio spectrum.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 22, 2026 at 4:34 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The Style Guide for America's Highways: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

Driving across America, you will encounter a wide variety of cultures, landscapes, people and animals…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/the-style-guide-for-americas-highways-mutcd
The Style Guide for America’s Highways: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
Driving across America, you will encounter a wide variety of cultures, landscapes, people and animals. But the one consistent thing that will stay the same from Maine to California are the signs you pass on the highway. That is because America’s roads and highways have a big, fat style guide.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 17, 2026 at 4:30 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Special Database 18: 3,248 Mugshots Used for Training Image Recognition Systems

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has maint…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/nist-special-database-18-3-248-mugshots-used-for-training-image-recognition-systems
Special Database 18: 3,248 Mugshots Used for Training Image Recognition Systems
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has maintained a dataset of mugshot photos of 1,573 people for decades, including 175 minors, until we asked about them.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 13, 2026 at 4:51 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The Style Guide for America's Highways: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

Driving across America, you will encounter a wide variety of cultures, landscapes, people and animals…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/the-style-guide-for-americas-highways-mutcd
The Style Guide for America’s Highways: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
Driving across America, you will encounter a wide variety of cultures, landscapes, people and animals. But the one consistent thing that will stay the same from Maine to California are the signs you pass on the highway. That is because America’s roads and highways have a big, fat style guide.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 8, 2026 at 4:35 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Trademark Design Codes

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with "Rickshaws", "Centaurs" or "Mechanical w…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/uspto-trademark-design-codes
Trademark Design Codes
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with “Rickshaws”, “Centaurs” or “Mechanical women”.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 3, 2026 at 4:35 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 The GOES-16 Weather Satellite

Satellites used to observe weather are so ubiquitous it is easy to take them for granted. GOES-16 is worthy of your attention.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/the-goes-16-weather-satellite
The GOES-16 Weather Satellite
Satellites used to observe weather are so ubiquitous it is easy to take them for granted. GOES-16 is worthy of your attention.
beautifulpublicdata.com
July 1, 2026 at 4:52 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
NEW POST: San Diego Photologs from the 1970s

You're rolling down Camino Del Rio smoking a Lark, listening to Rare Earth, before pulling into a Texaco to pay $0.34 per gallon for low-lead Fire Chief gas and fill up your "Mellow Yellow" AMC Gremlin.

www.beautifulpublicdata.com/san-diego-ph...
June 23, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Beautiful Public Data
jonkeegan.com
NEW POST on @beautifulpublicdata.com: San Diego Photologs from the 1970s - A collection of beautiful, high-resolution photolog scans reveals a colorful world of pastel-colored cars and whimsical signage.

beautifulpublicdata.com/san-diego-ph...
A screenshot from a 1973 photolog film in San Diego with mcdonalds arches, and other colorful signs
June 23, 2026 at 3:36 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
A little tease for next week’s post.
A colorful collage of vintage signs for gas stations, restaurants and other businesses.
June 19, 2026 at 7:02 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Utah Highway LiDAR Scans

Utah's Department of Transportation uses state-of-the-art 3-D laser scanners to capture the surfaces and area surrounding 15,000 miles of its roads.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/utah-lidar
Utah Highway LiDAR Scans
Utah's Department of Transportation uses state-of-the-art 3-D laser scanners to capture the surfaces and area surrounding 15,000 miles of its roads.
beautifulpublicdata.com
June 19, 2026 at 4:53 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Trademark Design Codes

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with "Rickshaws", "Centaurs" or "Mechanical w…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/uspto-trademark-design-codes
Trademark Design Codes
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with “Rickshaws”, “Centaurs” or “Mechanical women”.
beautifulpublicdata.com
June 17, 2026 at 5:08 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Special Database 18: 3,248 Mugshots Used for Training Image Recognition Systems

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has maint…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/nist-special-database-18-3-248-mugshots-used-for-training-image-recognition-systems
Special Database 18: 3,248 Mugshots Used for Training Image Recognition Systems
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has maintained a dataset of mugshot photos of 1,573 people for decades, including 175 minors, until we asked about them.
beautifulpublicdata.com
June 15, 2026 at 5:42 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Mapping Volcano Eruptions With Drones

Drones have become an essential tool to map, measure and observe the extremely dangerous environments surrounding volcanic eruptions.

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/mapping-volcano-eruptions-with-drones
Mapping Volcano Eruptions With Drones
Drones have become an essential tool to map, measure and observe the extremely dangerous environments surrounding volcanic eruptions.
beautifulpublicdata.com
June 5, 2026 at 4:54 PM
beautifulpublicdata.com
✨📊 Trademark Design Codes

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with "Rickshaws", "Centaurs" or "Mechanical w…

https://beautifulpublicdata.com/uspto-trademark-design-codes
Trademark Design Codes
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a system of 1,400 descriptive "design codes" allowing you to search for trademarks with “Rickshaws”, “Centaurs” or “Mechanical women”.
beautifulpublicdata.com
June 1, 2026 at 6:08 PM