How Data Visualisation Enhances the Impact and Visibility of Science
Nikola Sander and Ramon Bauer
ICPG, Brisbane, July 2015
Slides at nikolasander.com/icpg2015-dataviz
Why visualise data?
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
Remixing Rosling, by Moritz Stefaner
Can you spot the reindeer?
The benefits of data visualisation
- Express patterns and processes better than text
- Engage a wider audience -> increase readership
- Take research to the front page
- Bridge the gap between science and the public
- Potentially increase a paper's chances of acceptance
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
Science communication through data visualisation requires:
- Sound and transparent research
- Open access peer-reviewed publication
- Aawareness of what is a good visualisation
- Understanding that it's not a gimmick or luxury
- Time and skills
Is it really worth it?
"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
Outreach beyond scientific publications...
www.global-migration.info
Increasing the visibility and impact of science...
Feedback via Twitter
"Fantastic visualization of global migration data. I'm on there if you zoom in a lot."
"#SomeoneTellMarineLePen African migrants aren't invading us, and here's the data to prove it."
The graphic has been introduced to the school curriculum in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
"The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see."
— John W. Tukey. Exploratory Data Analysis. 1977