NPR recently published a visualization of weekly drought statistics (via FlowingData) since mid-2010 through 2011, studying the terrible–and lingering–conditions in Texas. To the untrained eye, the animated map looks like a product of some large enterprise reporting software package.

Nope! It’s all available for free from Google. This is not news for some of you, but Google Spreadsheets offers a series of gadgets in addition to the standard HQ charts & graphs. Such options were typically available either through products like Tableau and Crystal Reports, as well as to designers and developers via JavaScript and Illustrator. Now with a little time and experimentation, infoviz novices can catch up and appear just as sophisticated as those with larger budgets & expertise.