No, the Internet doesn't travel through the air. Nor does it live in one big, epic cloud. In fact, chances are it's traveling under your feet right now.
To demonstrate the trajectory of the Internet, Fortune magazine writer Andrew Blum and graphic designer Nicolas Rapp teamed up with telecom data and infrastructure company GeoTel Communications. The company maps fiber optic cables and geographic information systems (GIS) that connect people all over the world.
The result was a Fortune article called "Mapping the Internet." The piece contains stunning visuals that literally display where said fiber optic cables run: for the most part underwater, across the worlds's largest oceans.
These cables transfer data in the form of light to and from power repeaters in major cities — such as Hong Kong and New York — in a matter of milliseconds.
From there, the cables become part of an interconnected metro communications grid, whereupon carriers like AT&T and local government create lateral hubs by pulling cable conduits into darkened buildings on the street. One of the largest in Manhattan is 60 Hudson.
Although the physicality of the Internet boggles most people's minds, people like Dave Drazen have been working hands-on with it for decades. He launched GeoTel 12 years ago and continues as its CEO today, busier than ever as the world demands more, better, faster web connections.
"Most people have no clue what the world's communication infrastructure looks like," Drazen tells Mashable. "When they open this [article] up, they're astonished. You're actually mapping the Internet right here."
The information his company collects helped in creating the maps you see here, which appeared in Fortune magazine as well as in interactive form on its tablet app. The world map (as seen from the North Pole) visualizes major fiber optic cable lines as they run between major cities, most of which are financial and trading hubs where a millisecond's delay in communications can make or break entire economies.
Fiber optic map of New York City alongside notoriously well-equipped fiber optic "lit" building 60 Hudson.
The article also features a map of Manhattan's cable system, which centers on Wall Street. In the name of security, the map doesn't get too detailed by naming streets that house heavily populated data conduits or the carriers that operate them. On Drazen's insistence, no bridges or tunnels were included on this map either.
"[GeoTel is] granular down to the street corner," explains Drazen. "But we really have to be sensitive that it's a worldwide publication, that we're secure in what we're putting out there."
According to him, however, the information on each of his company's micro-specific fiber optic maps is available in the public realm. The Freedom of Information Act maintains that the public has the right to know where that fiber is running.
"If you were to go to any number of websites, they publish their metro fiber routes online," says Drazen. "The information that we research and get comes directly from the carriers themselves [about 80%] … The other part we get from the web." He cites websites like Level3.com, which collect and share that knowledge.
Even the average pedestrian can pick out the general locations of fiber channels running beneath their feet. The law requires that utility companies place aboveground labels on manhole covers or designate areas with a white-capped orange stick to prevent construction projects from accidentally cutting cables.
New York City itself houses some 75-100 carriers, which means fiber conduits oftentimes run every 500 feet.
So, what good are these maps and information? Open-source companies like GeoTel sell communications and mapping data to clients, like private and commercial companies. Clients then analyze that infrastructure on top of their proprietary information, says Drazen. Some companies use it to supplement their existing internal communication systems, while others wish to monitor where competitors are laying fiber.
However, GeoTell doesn't do business with any international companies, and those in the U.S. go through a strict credit analysis. Neither does the company work with any federal government installations, including the military.
The point is, despite who is running them, we know these complex systems are out there. And with the help of visualizations like these, today's Internet users can learn just how closely connected we all are.
Graphics data courtesy of GeoTel, designed by Nicolas Rapp for Fortune
Thumbnail courtesy of iStockphoto, cosmin4000
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