Display global trends with Heat Map & Slider

I liked the way Google Insights for Search graphically shows country-wise trends for keywords you search on with a Heat Map & Slider. The slider below the heat map neatly provides the interactivity.

The below images show the web search interest for the keyword "swine flu" in May-August 2010 & the same period in 2009.

Someday I would like to create a generic data visualization control out of the Heat Map-Slider combo (or is there one already?) that can have a easy way to bind to any data source.

It would be interesting to see wealth distribution across countries over the years & centuries. I couldn't find this with a cursory search on Gapminder.org, a site that unveils "the beauty of statistical time series by converting boring numbers into enjoyable, animated and interactive graphics"
 
Also see:
Free ASP.NET Charting Tools
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