Urban App of the Day: Compare Global Cities on the iPad

A new iPad app places data on roughly 2,600 cities at your fingertips. The free Urban World was developed by the McKinsey Global Institute, a research organization aimed at informing business and policy makers about the global economy. It stems from the institute's myriad research and data.

These economic drivers are easy to see on the app: a touch on the globe produces data on continents, countries, and cities (largely represented by metropolitan areas). It can toggle to show only the top economic powerhouses. But it's the compare feature that really makes the data accessible. Click on any one place, hit compare, and then click on any other place. The app split-screens two pie charts, which display numbers on population, household income, and GDP for the year 2010 as well as projections for 2025. (The app does not currently display percentages on the pie charts, but that feature may be planned for future versions.)