This week seem to be a slow week in visualizations and articles. But still, there were some interesting pieces. They mostly relate to transit but all cover different angles. We have Subway desserts in NY, runner data displaying segregation in Baltimore and a new way to visualize transit trips.
Next week will include all the awesome things that happened on Saturday, March 2nd around the world on Open Data Day!
Visualizations
Where the Subway Limits New Yorkers With Disabilities - The New York Times
I‘m a sucker for maps. And especially the ones designed by the NYT. They have a great visualization team.
And dessert maps (as I refer to this kind of maps) always make me smile. Although they typically are very sad maps since they show the lack of access to something.
Takeaway:
If you have the space use annotations to highlight specific areas and add explanations.
Baltimore’s so Segregated, Even Strava Shows It. These Runners Want to Change That
And astonishing that you can see the segregation in running data.When viewing the Strava heatmap of Baltimore, the most-run routes of the city meld to form the outline of a letter “L” that glows like neon. It begins in the north and runs straight down the city’s spine, before diverting east along the Inner Harbor and the promenade. This area of Baltimore is also a demographic phenomenon known as “the white L.” It’s the area where resources are directed, where prospective homebuyers are guided and luxury apartment complexes are erected. Its lines are as obvious in real life as they are on the Strava heatmap, and most people who live inside of it stay inside of it.
Nice heatmap of strava runners in the city of Baltimore. And astonishing that you can see the segregation in running data.
Nothing too fancy about the map. And there are more where this is coming from.
Takeaway:
Heatmaps work best if you don’t show the underlying city or if you need to because the data does not cover much of the city make it light.
Taxi Trips NYC
Another nice looking heatmap. You can almost see the segregation in NY as well as you have seen in the runner’s map. It‘s not as apparent as the other but still visible. It is an old article that last week popped up again. The article includes more info on how the data was selected and aggregated.
Flood risk and more
This is another older article, but the maps do update regularly. They were built by BuzzFeed for Hurricane Michael in 2018.
The direct data source is not cited but the data comes from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research. They look nice and give a good overview, but if you view only the map the data source is missing, and even the article does not contain too much information.
Takeaway:
Always include the data source in your map as well, not only in the corresponding article. You might share the map later without the article.
Full Map Old Article from 2018
New way to visualize Public transit routes
According to research, travel preferences vary among urban commuters; some want to take the fastest route, some prefer to have the least walking or minimized interchanges, yet others prefer minimal waiting outdoors. Thus our challenge is to visualize and present transportation possibilities on smartphones according to the passenger’s needs.
The article behind this new approach is fascinating and worth a read. It is not specifically for Civic Tech but visualizing public transit is a challenge, and I love the result that they came up with.
Articles
Civic Tech/Community
Open Government/Open Data
- Mark43, Carbyne Partner on Integrated Cloud-Based Dispatch
- Bay Area Public-Private Partners Explore Transit Data Mashup
- How Tech Helped Chicago Police Solve the Jussie Smollett Case
- New River Thames pollution data finds majority of litter found is single-use
- Evergov Wants to Make Local Government Services More Searchable
- Honolulu Turns to Remix to Plan Future Transportation Needs
- New App Helps Los Angeles Area Residents Breathe Easier
- Growing Metros Need Tech, Transit to Reduce Congestion
- San Francisco Gets Smarter About Trash Management
Tweets
Cities buying smart city tech should be transparent and account for data collection, use and ownership. In other words, who owns the data, how can it be used, and how long should it be stored?
— Sunlight Open Cities (@SunlightCities) February 25, 2019
Director @katyaabaz quoted by @RedTailAI @PrivacyPros https://t.co/Lehaz91WEU
Chief #Data Officers are both data geeks and keen communicators—which is why they're such great assets on your #CityHall team! The CDOs from @CityOfCincy, @cityoflaredo & @LACity share what they're bringing to local gov, in @BloombergCities' new blog post. https://t.co/SWFnWC44cP
— What Works Cities (@WhatWorksCities) February 27, 2019