Aug
02
In this tutorial, we’ll create an interactive, chloropleth map of census data, complete with hover tooltips and an HTML legend. We’ll use QGis and Google spreadsheets to prepare the data, Tilemill to style the map tiles and MapBox for hassle-free hosting. You’ll need to be running Mac OS X to follow along.
Jul
13
Although geared primarily toward the production of static graphics for print publications, Dona M. Wong’s The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics (2010) provides a wealth of salient and time-honored tips and guidelines that any student of data visualization would be well-advised to follow. At the heart of Wong’s book is the notion that data integrity [...]
Jul
13
In keeping with my recent spate of mapping nerdiness, I decided to take an interactive map I produced last month displaying statewide annual population changes a step further by adding mouseover/hover capabilities. Here’s the hover-y, nicely-colored chloropleth map I came up with. But before I get into the nitty-gritty of how I created the map [...]
May
07
I’ve been interested lately in finding examples of online-only, collaborative, non-profit newsrooms who’ve utilized the power of data visualization techniques to give added value to stories that otherwise wouldn’t necessarily be unique, and in doing so beat out legacy news organizations who published a text narrative alone. Take, for example, this data-rich story and interactive map displaying statewide testing results [...]
May
06
I’ve been tinkering around with some new mapping tools lately, and figured I’d put them to good use by displaying the 2011-2012 population estimates released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The inherently geographical nature of the census makes it a data set just begging to be mapped. Rather than the de facto Google [...]
May
04
Others may hate, but I’m a big fan of using bubbles to display data. When implemented correctly (i.e. scaled in terms of area instead of diameter), bubbles can be an aesthetically appealing and concise way to represent the value of data points in an inherently visual format. Bubbles are even more useful when they include [...]
Apr
02
It’s nearing the end of the week, so what better way to relax than with a good bottle of wine and some leisure reading? Problem is, I’m not very skilled at buying wine that tastes any good. I always end up paying more for the bitter, expensive stuff. Fortunately, there’s a pretty cool news app [...]
Apr
02
An interesting question came up at last Wednesday’s Doing Data Journalism (#doingdataj) panel hosted by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism here at Columbia’s J-School: Should there be data specialists in the newsroom, or can everyone be a data journalist? For New York Times interactive editor Aron Pilholfer, who participated in the panel, the question is [...]
Apr
02
The problem is that we continue to reward crap journalism that’s based on anecdotal evidence alone . . . But truly if it’s not a priority at the top to reward good data-driven journalism, it’s going to be impossible to get people into data because they just don’t think it’s worth it.~ Aron Pilholfer, New York Times
Totally agree, but harbor the lurking suspicion that many traditional readers still like to read pretty narratives and don’t care as much if the facts back them up. In other words, it’s an audience problem just as much as it is an editorial one.
I'm a twenty-something journalistic web developer and content manager interested in using data and interactive technologies to improve the way we understand the news. I also like yogurt.
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