New iPad app offers living 3D map of the internet

A new iPad app offers a living 3D map of the internet - showing how data moves between web users and big companies such as Google and Facebook.

Map of the Internet looks like a galaxy - but the points of light are actually Internet Service Providers, exchange points and universities that route online traffic.

Users can even see data shooting from their iPad to destinations on the web - and watch how the internet as we know it evolved.

It's an expansion of a paper map created in 2011 by hosting company Peer1 Index.

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The interactive version allows users to see data moving between their location and a destination, showing how long data takes to travel across the internet.

Users can see also where popular companies like Google and Facebook are located on the Internet, as well as when such companies first appeared online.

The app also offers the chance to peer into the future of the net - with predictions up until 2020.

Robert Miggins, senior vice president, business development, PEER 1 Hosting said: “We’re passionate about the Internet and continue to look for ways to demonstrate and share that with the world; the Map of the Internet app exemplifies those efforts.”

“People are curious about what’s going on under the hood of the Internet and this app allows users to easily view and understand how it works.”