In this presentation Wesley Grubbs talks about what makes a good data visualisation, and how to tell a story to engage your audience.

1. Wesley Grubbs
Pitch Interactive, Inc.
@pitchinc
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4. 0 0 0 OCT 2010 0 0 0OCT 2010
Noise
Street Condition
Lost Property
Street Light Condition
CFC Recovery
Blocked Driveway Sewer Maintenance
Dirty Conditions
Sanitation Condition
Traffic Signal Condition
Graffitti
Damaged Tree
Consumer Complaint
General Construction – Plumbing
DHS Advantage – Landlord/Broker
Water Maintenance Illegal Parking
Building/Use
Rodent
Overgrown Tree/Branches
Sidewalk Condition
Taxi Complaint
DOF Property – Owner Issue
DHS Advantage – Tenant
Literature Request
Noise
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11. Just because a diagram is pretty
doesn’t mean it’s falsified
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12. Climate Wisconsin
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13. Focus on story. Not just making
graphics.
Wednesday, May 28, 14

14. Indus
Mekong
Tigris-Euphrates
Amur
Yenisey
Congo
Rio Grande
Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna
Xi
Salween
Han
Danube
Nelson-Saskatchewan
Aral Sea
Schelde Rhine
Niger
Nile
Ob
Volga
Jordan
La Plata
Mississippi
Amazon
Orinoco
/ POPULAR SCIENCE SOURCE: THE TRANSBOUNDARY FRESHWATER DISPUTE DATABASE, DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
RIVERLOCATIONSCOURTESYTHEGLOBALRUNOFFDATACENTRE,56068KOBLENZ,GERMANY
T H E WAT E R I S S U E
E R N A T I O N A L R I V E R S
393 EVENTS
Leaders use
language of discord
in an official or
unofficial setting
Most hostile Neutral Most collaborative
D ATA V I S U A L I Z AT I O N B Y
P I T C H I N T E R A C T I V E
W I D E A N G L E
T H E P L A C E S W H E R E N AT I O N S
C L A S H A N D C O L L A B O R AT E
O V E R T H E R I V E R S
T H E Y S H A R E
W A R A N D
P E A C E
the planet’s climate in flux, rivers will both flood and run dry
often, according to the latest report from the International
on Climate Change. Shortages are especially likely in parts
world already short on water, so political scientists expect
will become even more intense. To track disputes worldwide,
rchers at Oregon State University spent a decade building a
rehensive database of international incidents—both aggressive
ooperative—over shared water resources. They found that
ries often begin disputes belligerently but ultimately reach
ful agreements. Says Aaron Wolf, the geosciences professor
eads the project, “For me the really interesting part is how even
and Israelis, Indians and Pakistanis are able to resolve their
ences and find a solution.” KATIE PEEK
NERD BOX
The map displays nearly 2,000
international incidents, collaboration
and conflict alike, over shared river
basins from 1990 to 2008. The areas
of the circles in the sidebar [facing
page] compare about 2,200 events—
including another 200 disputes over
resources other than shared rivers—
from the same period.
KEY
1–2
None
The color of each international river basin shows the total number of
incidents there, both aggressive and cooperative, from 1990 to 2008.
Circle size indicates the number of hostile events in each basin.
1–3 4–15 16–40 41–126 127+
3–6 7–15 16–45 46+
INCIDENTS BY INTENSITY The researchers graded each event in their database on a 15-point scale.
CURRENT HOTSPOT
In 2011, Ethiopia began
building the Grand
Renaissance Dam on the
Blue Nile, a tributary that
provides 60 percent of
the Nile’s water. Without
any basin-wide treaties in
place, Egypt and Sudan are
concerned about receiving
enough water downriver.
Ethiopia plans to complete
the project in 2017.
CURRENT HOTSPOT
Later this year Turkey
will complete the Ilisu
Dam on the Tigris River,
part of a national push to
boost electrical capacity.
Besides submerging
the 12,000-year-old
settlement of Hasankeyf,
the dam may damage Iraq’s
Mesopotamian Marshes
by allowing them to get
saltier. Germany, Austria,
and Switzerland withdrew
funding for the dam in 2009.
CURRENT HOTSPOT
In a channel of the Mekong
two miles north of the
Cambodian border, Laos
intends to construct
the Don Sahong Dam.
The power project would
affect fishing in Cambodia,
Vietnam, and Thailand,
and those countries are
demanding veto power.
0 EVENTS
Declaration of war
570 EVENTS
Leaders express
mild verbal
support in talks or
policy exchanges
245 EVENTS
Nations agree to
support projects
like irrigation or
river management
0 EVENTS
Voluntary
unification into a
single country
9 EVENTS
Hostile action like
troop movement
or water-supply
disruption
CURRENT HOTSPOT
Tajikistan is planning the
Rogun hydroelectric dam
on a tributary of the Amu
Dar’ya river. The dam would
be the tallest in the world
and help alleviate the
country’s energy shortages.
Uzbekistan, fearing
irrigation shortfalls, has
imposed tariffs and travel
restrictions on its neighbor.
Wednesday, May 28, 14

15. Indus
Mekong
Tigris-Euphrates
Amur
Congo
Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna
Xi
Salween
Han
Danube
Aral Sea
Schelde Rhine
Niger
Nile
Jordan
La Plata
mazon
EGLOBALRUNOFFDATACENTRE,56068KOBLENZ,GERMANY
Most hostile Neutral Most collaborative
KEY
1–2
None
The color of each international river basin shows the total number of
incidents there, both aggressive and cooperative, from 1990 to 2008.
Circle size indicates the number of hostile events in each basin.
1–3 4–15 16–40 41–126 127+
3–6 7–15 16–45 46+
INCIDENTS BY INTENSITY The researchers graded each event in their database on a 15-point scale.
CURRENT HOTSPOT
In 2011, Ethiopia began
building the Grand
Renaissance Dam on the
Blue Nile, a tributary that
provides 60 percent of
the Nile’s water. Without
any basin-wide treaties in
place, Egypt and Sudan are
concerned about receiving
enough water downriver.
Ethiopia plans to complete
the project in 2017.
asankeyf,
amage Iraq’s
Marshes
m to get
y, Austria,
d withdrew
dam in 2009.
CURRENT HOTSPOT
In a channel of the Mekong
two miles north of the
Cambodian border, Laos
intends to construct
the Don Sahong Dam.
The power project would
affect fishing in Cambodia,
Vietnam, and Thailand,
and those countries are
demanding veto power.
Uzbekistan, fearing
irrigation shortfalls, has
imposed tariffs and travel
restrictions on its neighbor.
Wednesday, May 28, 14

16. Data collection and cohesion is huge
challenge.
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17. Work with people who work in
communications.
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18. @pitchinc
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19. Wednesday, May 28, 14