December 02, 2003
A Map of the Internet
In case you were wondering just what the Internet looks like, the folks at the Opte Project have generated static and dynamic 2D JPG/PNG images and 3D VRML maps of the Internet. They produce maps 'using over 5 million edges and has an estimated 50 million hop count.'
The mapping uses color and other graphing logic. RFC1918 addresses have been hashed into a unique checksum so they do not incorrectly overlap with other routers or hosts. The checksums resolve to the same host each time to be sure that all routes connect correctly. Another bit of code also removed the routing loops that made a rather large mess out of previous maps. The colors were based on Class A allocation of IP space too different registrars in the world. The color system is very basic now. There are plans to enhance the color to be more descriptive.
Legend of colors:
Asia Pacific - Red
Europe/Middle East/Central Asia/Africa - Green
North America - Blue
Latin American and Caribbean - Yellow
RFC1918 IP Addresses - Cyan
Unknown - White
The maps can be viewed at various resolutions 400x400 (png, 288 K), 700x700 (png, 867 K) or 4096x4096 (png, 2,810 K). They plan on producing more complex maps on a daily basis as they refine the algorithm. They also plan on making the software available for anyone to create their own maps.
The history and process of this projet is quite interesting.
Posted by rsk at December 2, 2003 08:51 AM