HelpMeViz » Unit Chart

Visualizing Four Numbers

helpmeviz@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 13:18:34 +0000

This request is from Billy.

I saw this chart a few weeks ago and immediately felt that it was a terrible way to show the data. (Let’s ignore for the moment that with only four numbers, a graphic may not actually be necessary and that having annual data would be helpful). When I sat down and started sketching alternatives, I didn’t love any of them, so I’m seeking help on visualizing just these four numbers–100 years & 4.4 gigatons; 3 years & 6.6 gigatons.

Alternatively, one could convert the numbers to gigatons per year and just plot it as a simple column chart, etc, but I think the four-number challenge is a bit more interesting.

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Cross-Country Inequality

helpmeviz@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 02:08:49 +0000

For this visualization I decided to focus on the economic inequality within regions represented by the data. Highlighting each region with its own chart, one can see the dispersion of social equality or inequality within each region. I also chose to focus a viewer’s attention on the averages of that group. I decided that on the y-axis to show just how far from the median income those in the 10th percentile (low income earners) and 90th percentile (high income earners) are and the income distance between each group. On the x-axis each country is plotted on the x-axis where they fall on the Gini coefficient. As a static piece one can only view the averages with the other countries ghosted in and it still works. But in an interactive version one can mouse over and reveal which country is which.

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The Cost of War

helpmeviz@gmail.com — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 13:18:00 +0000

This request for help with an interactive visualization built in d3 comes from Tim Hayes.

This interactive visualization presents the thousands of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.

The data came from the Washington Post’s Faces of the Fallen site, which contains an impressive collection of information including the details behind each fatality alongside a photo. I appreciate the way the Post has humanized the loss of so many soldiers and I wanted offer a visualization of the individuals related to a big picture view of the total. To do so, I plotted all 6,774 data points separately rather than aggregating them in simplified charts.

It was a challenge to plot so many points in a visually interesting way and to do so while honoring those who have paid the ultimate price. How could it be improved?

Tim has posted the project on his GitHub page, the source data is available here, and you can get directly to the interactive by clicking here.

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