I started my lab 2 process by looking for a data set that could have the potential to be explored and yield useful insights. I quickly came across a data set that was used by information is beautiful to develop interesting insights on the variety of energy resources around the world and decided to use the same data to develop an exploratory experience of my own. I started by thinking about the fact that our world today faces an environmental crisis that owes the majority of its scale to fossil fuel industries which are one of the most prominent and dangerous energy resources used around the world today. I realized that by allowing other energy resources be compared against the energy that is generated by crude oil every year, I could potentially draw an image of a better world in which we do not need to rely on fossil fuels by taking example from countries such as Iceland whose biggest energy resource is geothermal energy. Also, after starting my process, I realized that even a chance to know and realize how many different resources can be available and used simultaneously in a single country, can help my audience understand that an alternative world will not focus on shifting energy resources, but diversifying them to reduce the negative aspects of some less environmentally friendly resources.
I think one visualization that gravely helped give direction to my exploration was the data visualization published by information is beautiful called “Mega-What?” in which they use the same dataset as I have used to develop a visualization representing the most important energy resources in the world based on the facility that produces that energy. Their visualization and analysis are trying to address small detailed factors regarding the facilities that produce the different types of energy and demonstrate how some of the more environmentally friendly alternatives have a higher potential for producing energy than their fossil fuel-based counterparts. I found their visualization to be informing and easy to navigate to with respect to the complexity of the subject matter they are trying to communicate.
I used the Tableau public software to generate my visualizations and used the link below to download my data set. I tried to steer clear of more experimental approaches to ensure the quality of outcome and am hoping to have done that to the best of my ability.
The process I used for generating my visualization started by cleaning up my dataset on Tableau. I started by looking at unnecessary columns and columns that had too many null inputs that would potentially trigger errors later on. I deleted those columns and edited the title for a couple of them that had excessively long titles. Then I went on to design a couple of visualizations, but I quickly noticed that the geo location information for my data was not rendered to have geographical info (latitude, longitude) so I had to modify that in order to generate visuals using the map chart.
For generating my graphs, I identified certain factors that if put against each other could yield an outcome that would be comprehensive and would make sense. After generating a couple renditions of each data set, I went on to create more connection between the context and the visualizations by switching columns and rows or switching filters to create more space for a wholistic understanding of the message. After I came to a conclusion on my visualizations, I started editing the aesthetics which would include changing colorways for graphs or matching colors between visuals that are addressing the same factors. I tried my graphs to present a focus on what is the state of energy resources on the planet at the moment, and what it could be, in a better world.
I tried to use comparison as a mechanism to allow my audience to explore the data for themselves and gradually get to the final message I am trying to communicate. I assigned one of my graphs to work as a filter to show different information that would relate to the same country throughout the different graphs I have used to create my dashboard. I tried to apply colors to make the visuals more interesting but had to also moderate the use of colors for it not to overload the picture.
I think my dashboard present a wholistic take on my message and is also fun and interactive. I think it is important for data visualization to be attractive because it needs attention in order to spread its message and that is what I tried to achieve in this visualization. I think the message fits the scope of this single page visualization and is not too complex to be misunderstood which is an important factor because covering more data doesn’t always translate to more understanding about the topic and can easily confuse the audience. I also believe that my data visualization relies heavily on the visualizations and graphs, which I think is a good approach considering that if we were looking for a text analysis of data, we would have generated a data analysis in text rather than a visualization. I think my experiment can have broader implications in analyzing the potential of green energy resources as oppose to fossil fuels and could be a good direction for further research to be developed.
Data Source:
Link to the interactive visualization: