Topo

Topo generates topographic maps of Wikipedia articles to visualize information depth.

Hypertext adds a layer to written language, referencing a depth not captured in 2D. On the web, this depth is captured in hyperlinks. Those links, traditionally blue and underlined, tell us there's more information hidden beneath this part of the text, hinting at important concepts. While printed text requires us to identify significant bits on our own, the hyperlink plainly identifies them. The hyperlink, though, is cognitively blunt—highlighting importance, but not conveying relative importance. Consider a page of a book that's no longer flat, but molded like a raised relief map, with peaks and valleys to convey the amount of background knowledge each word or phrase on the page necessitates. Topo generates topographic maps for Wikipedia content in hopes of providing information depth a more casual visibility.