Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Interactivity in producing
graphs – challenges for
producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office
OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
2Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
3 challenges for all visualizations
1 Is everybody able to understand graphs?
Statistical literacy
2 Access for all and tailored information
3 Sustainable production of graphs
What do we understand by ‹interactivity›?
What if users want to visualize data themselves?
3Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
1st challenge: Is everybody able to understand graphs?
Source: Charles Joseph Minard (1781–1870)
4Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
All proportions have to be equal
5Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
«No one grants more citizenships than Switzerland»
6Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
«Switzerland is restrictive with granting citizenship»
7Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Number of citizenships grantedTotal population Foreign population
Source: PIKOM
8Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Visualization makes statisticsmore attractive
• Visualization is a task for statistical authors
• They need convenient tools.
Flexible templates help to guarantee both
quality and speed of production
• Checklists have to be applied before publication
9Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Creating graphs: Producer-side interactivity
10Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
2nd challenge: access for alland tailored information
• Handicapped People
• Color blindness
• Visual impairment
• Physical impairment
• Researchers and journalists need access to the
data behind graphs, too
• Different target groups have different needs
11Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Accessible color
scheme inherent to
the template
12Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Fine-tune the axis
13Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
3rd challenge: sustainable production of graphs
• Cross media ability
(producing for the web and for print)
• Smooth but flexible workflows: use digital assets
• Data needs to be stored centrally:
One update, multiple use
• Avoid errors: reduce information conversion
• Continuous improvement: learn from experiences
• Bring statistical results even faster to the customer
14Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Creating graphs: What about interactivity on the user side?
15Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Interactivity may mean more than offering multiple layers of data
The three
challenges are
solved when
using static data
16Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
But: What if users want to visualize data themselves?
Public and private bodies
are offering masses of
data on the internet.
Interactivity also
means that users may
create their own
visualizations with official
data.
17Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
Offering graphs: User-side interactivity
All data must be
presented in a safe
and easy-to-use
interface
18Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
This happens
when some
information is
missing
19Interactivity in producing graphs – challenges for producers and data users
Daniel von Burg, Federal Statistical Office | OECD Seminar, May 26–27 2008, Stockholm
Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA
Federal Statistical Office FSO
It is essential for
understanding the data.
Everyone needs to
understand the
advantages and
disadvantages of the
indicator
Do not forget metadata!