Data Dialogues

The recurring theme for our discussion posts will be a “Data Dialogue.” A data dialogue combines an element from the readings of the week with a data visualization or other data product you have found in the wild.

Entries can be short, just a few sentences, but should strive to explain briefly what the data product is, how to read it, and how it connects to the reading(s) of the week. Please provide a link if it is relevant.

You are broken into two groups:

An example of a Data Dialogue entry and response:

Original post: “I found another life expectancy chloropleth map, this time focusing on Europe. In the reading, Muth refers to a Datawrapper feature that confirms whether your visualization adheres to appropriate levels of accessibility to the colorblind, a useful tool for ensuring inclusivity. I think the color scheme in this chloropleth works well, although I’m not sure if the scheme is accessible to those with color-blindness. I find the placement of additional information (Highest/lowest regions) to be clever in utilizing space with no information recorded. I’m curious how areas are sectioned off as most countries in the visualization are split into smaller regions.”

Response: “I think this is a really visually pleasing visualization, especially as you note, the additional information and contextualization are in really good places. I think this is an interesting way to look at life expectancy because oftentimes the same data might be compiled and used as one color for the entire country. I found it especially interesting when Muth talked about considering using the smallest units possible. In this map, they have separate regions color coded individually, and it makes it more descriptive too. It also makes me speculate as to the causes of particular regions having lower or higher life expectancy rates. It looks like they never say that the medium gray, I assume, is countries lacking in data compared to the light gray of Africa and the Middle East, which I assumed to be countries they were ignoring for this visualization.”

Places to find ideas for Data Dialogues

Places to find ideas for Data Dialogues