Adding Design to the Research Process: Visualising Complex Migration Flow Data
Nikola Sander
APA, Kuala Lumpur, 29 July 2015
Slides are available at: nikolasander.com/apa2015
Communicating science effectively
How many 5s?
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 2 | l |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 2 | l | 9 | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 2 | l | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 | l | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
How many 5s?
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 2 | l |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 2 | l | 9 | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| l | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 2 | l | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 | l | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | l | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
Anscombe's quartet
Effective data visualisation is a matter of substance, of statistics, and design.
Edward Tufte, 2001
"The Global Flow of People"
Idea, design & implementation:
Nikola Sander and Ramon Bauer
d3.js coding: Null2 Berlin
Data: Guy J Abel
Web design: Elvira Stein
Financial support: Vienna Institute of Demography
Where it all began:
global international migration flows
196*196*4
The Flight of Refugees Around the Globe. The New York Times, 20 June 2015
A source of inspiration.
Abel & Sander (2014)"Quantifying Global International Migration Flows". Science, vol. 343: 1520-1522.
How to read the circular migration plot...
Each region is assigned a colour.
The length of a circular segment shows a region's volume of migration in millions.
A flow's direction is shown by its colour and proximity to the circle.
Flows have the same colour as their origin. A wider gap indicates the flow’s destination.
Inflows and outflows are arranged based on size, from largest to smallest.
2005-10
www.global-migration.info
Data visualisation for science communication
“Scientists must learn to communicate with the public, be willing to do so and indeed consider it their duty to do so.”
Royal Society, 1985