Description
This is the final project for the "Introduction to Data Visualization" course taught by Professor Alberto Cairo. Unlike the first project where a theme and client are assigned by the professor, the students are given the freedom to choose an approved topic and there are no set guidelines for the style of the infographic. The topic of my choice is the severity and frequency of earthquakes in Indonesia. Throughout each project iteration, Professor Cairo provided feedback, enabling me to produce a more refined final product.
Timeline
- Week 1: first draft
- Week 2: second draft
- Week 4: third draft
- Week 5: final draft
Requirements
- Theme: Topic of choice
- Type of infographic:
- Tabloid-size poster oriented horizontally
- Convey a visualization-driven story, focusing on design and communication
Topic Selection
As an Indonesian who has experienced numerous earthquakes, I found the subject to be interesting. It drove my desire to comprehend earthquakes and their patterns in Indonesia. Moreover, since there is a wealth of public data, it seemed to be a topic worth exploring.
Tools
Project Hypothesis / Research Question
What is the frequency and severity of earthquakes in Indonesia, and can patterns be identified based on their occurrences over time?
Data Sources
Data Analysis Process
Once the data was gathered, I used Python and Excel to clean and explore the data to find meaningful insights. Since this is my first time working with data about earthquakes, I was surprised to find the large amount of earthquakes that happen in Indonesia. This made me realize that I would have to explore the data more purposefully. I kept the question defined at the beginning of the project in mind to guide my data analysis process. From the data, I was able to answer the question as well as develop the understanding of the frequency and severity of earthquakes in Indonesia. In addition, I focused on exploring the data on the largest earthquake that occurred in Indonesia.
Final Graphics Selection
Combined dot map and locator map
A locator map is used to visualize Indonesia’s geographical region. In order to familiarize readers with Indonesia’s geography, the main islands of the country is labeled, latitude and longitude are added, fault lines are drawn, and volcanoes are pinned. Different colors and thickness of lines are used to make sure that different things do not blend with each other. Since it is a locator map, a scale is created to show the size of the country and a legend is displayed for readers to use to identify the different markings in the map. A dot map is layered on top of the map to show earthquake epicenters in 2022 and each dot’s shade of blue differs based on the magnitude of the earthquake. This map visualizes the distribution of earthquakes in Indonesia in 2022.
Timeline
A scaled timeline is used in the infographic to highlight earthquakes with either a large magnitude or number of casualties from 2004 to the end of 2022. A dot on the timeline represents the event and its shade of red depends on the number of casualties of the event. For each event, the day and month and the magnitude of the earthquake is denoted. In my opinion, it is the best way to visualize and highlight these events.
Time-series chart
The time-series chart is used to visualize the frequency of earthquakes from 2018 to 2022. Each year is its own time-series chart stacked on top of each other with the same x-axis under them. The values of the frequency are not defined since the purpose of the charts is to identify patterns to confirm or deny seasonality of earthquakes in Indonesia, which is done by recognizing spikes and similarities of the lines over the years.
Tree map
The tree map is used to visualize the proportions of damages based on the sector (social, productive, infrastructure, and cross-sectoral) in millions of U.S. dollars for a singular earthquake in 2004. Since the chart to the left of the tree map is a pictogram chart, I wanted to visualize this data in a fun manner as well. This led me to choosing the tree map.
Histogram
Two histograms are used in this infographic to visualize the severity of earthquakes in 2022. Since they share an x-axis (magnitude of earthquake), they are stacked together. The histogram at the top displays the frequency of earthquakes based on its magnitude. The histogram shows a fairly normal distribution, where most earthquakes’ size in 2022 fall around 3 to 4 magnitude. The second histogram shows the frequency of earthquakes based on their magnitude and depth. There are three categories for the depth: 0-70 km, 71-300 km, and over 300km. For each category of depth, the frequency of earthquakes based on its magnitude is visualized. Based on these charts, readers would be able to understand how severe were most earthquakes in 2022 from its magnitude and depth.
Pictogram chart
I found that the pictogram chart does the best job in visualizing the strength of the 2004 earthquake. Since the strength of the earthquake is equivalent to 23,000 atomic bombs, each hand-drawn bomb represents 1,000 atomic bombs. This way, the space is utilized efficiently and effective communication of data with the readers is ensured.
Sketch
I started by sketching the layout of the infographic. The first picture below is my first sketch where I drew and wrote ideas that may fit into the infographic. The first sketch divides the infographic into four rows, but when the layout is translated into Adobe Illustrator, space became an issue. Due to that reason, I created another sketch with three rows instead of four and made more room for each potential chart.
Color Palette
First Draft
The focus of this draft is to create the theme and flow of the infographic. I built the layout of the infographic in Adobe Illustrator based on the second sketch and used the map and charts created using Plotly Python library, importing them into Adobe Illustrator. I created a color palette in order to have a set of colors to use uniformly in the infographic and used it as a reference to edit the map and charts. Then, I manually drew the timeline of notable earthquakes and the fault lines in the map. The dot map displays the distribution of earthquakes that happened in 2022 as well as the location of volcanoes and fault lines in Indonesia. The magnitude of the earthquakes are indicated based on the shade of the dot. From this dot map, the distribution of earthquake epicenters seem to be located close to the volcanoes and fault lines, which indicates correlation. The timeline highlights earthquakes that happened between 2004 and 2023 with details on the date of the event and the magnitude. In addition, each point is shaded based on the number of casualties. The bottom left histogram shows the number of earthquakes that happened in 2022 by magnitude, which seems to have a normal distribution. The time-series chart’s goal is to visualize whether or not earthquakes are seasonal. From the chart, there does not seem to be a season for earthquakes, but once an earthquake happens, there would be a series of follow-up earthquakes. The last histogram displays the distribution of earthquakes by magnitude based on the depth of the earthquakes. Based on this chart, there are more earthquakes that are shallow in depth, within the 0 to 70 km range.
Feedback
I was encouraged to look a little deeper in the data and go beyond the frequency of earthquakes. It was pointed out that I should add human and economic impact to give a better picture of the catastrophe to the readers. In addition, the dot map in the infographic needs better labels and boundaries for readers who are not familiar with Indonesia’s geography. The three graphs at the bottom of the infographic can occupy less space to make room for additional information.
Second Draft
Based on the first draft’s feedback received, I moved the layout around in order to fill the infographic with more meaningful data. In this iteration, the timeline spans three columns instead of the full width of the page, the two histograms are stacked on top of each other, occupying a column, and the time-series chart’s width has been cut in half. This provides me with more room to add the additional data. The empty space on the bottom left corner of the infographic is filled with the before and after images of earthquakes and a highlight of the most devastating earthquake in Indonesia. These images and charts help readers to paint a picture of the catastrophe. The charts I added are a pictogram chart and a tree map. These highlight the power of the earthquake and the cost of the damages of the 2004 earthquake in Indonesia. For the dot map, the main islands of Indonesia are labeled in order to give a better description of Indonesia’s geography.
Feedback
A scale should be added into the dot map to familiarize the readers with Indonesia’s geography. In addition, the charts and graphics on the right side (the dot map, timeline, time-series, and histograms) are too closely together. The margin needs to be increased since they are displaying different data. In addition, the font used for the title of each chart blends in too much into the rest of the texts, it needs to be edited in order to emphasize the title more.
Third Draft
This draft focused on the details of the infographic as well as making adjustments based on the feedback I received. Since the charts and graphs used are almost final, I replaced the text placeholder under the infographic’s title with a paragraph to lead readers through the infographic, mentioning key findings. A scale, along with latitude and longitude has been added to the map, since it is a combination of dot map and locator map to give readers a better idea about Indonesia’s geography. The black dot used in the legend to represent earthquake epicenter has been replaced with a blue dot to better represent the dots used in the map. The margins of the charts have been adjusted to present more white space and separation between charts displaying different data. The timeline was moved up while the histograms and time-series charts were moved the other direction. The font family and weight of the chart titles were changed to create a distinction between title and other text. In this iteration, the adjustments were minor and involved more attention to detail.
Feedback
There is a need to enhance visual clarity. Some of the recommendations include increasing the margin to allow the charts to breathe and facilitate a more organized presentation, modifying the font or formatting of the chart titles to emphasize them and make sure they stand out from the surrounding text. Additionally, it was advised to shift the alignment of the titles to the left to improve overall readability and flow within the document.
Fifth Draft
Minor changes were made in this final iteration. The titles of the charts are blue instead of the previous color, black, and they are aligned to the left instead of the center align in the previous iteration. The change of color emphasizes and separates the title from the rest of the text. The charts located at the bottom are resized to make room for more margin and allowing more white spaces between charts.
Final Version
Changes are made to the December 26, 2004 earthquake section to be more informative and highlight the magnitude of the damage.
Conclusion
This project has been fun and interesting due to the topic. As mentioned before, I had the opportunity to choose my own topic. The topic came to be because of my curiosity about the severity and frequency of earthquakes in Indonesia since the day I experienced it myself. Although I knew that there are a lot of earthquakes that happen in Indonesia, I did not expect the numbers that I saw. Throughout the process of this project, I focused on curating the infographic to communicate to the readers that earthquakes in Indonesia has been a problem and it has costed the country greatly. This focus has helped me create the necessary charts and graphics to relay my message. The changes made in each iteration of this project are less than my first project. I believe that this is the product of the saying, ‘practice makes perfect’.
Future Work
- Enhance Data Interpretation: In future projects, I would consider delving deeper into the interpretation of data insights and providing more detailed analysis and context to help the audience understand the significance of the patterns and correlations discovered in the data.
- Incorporate User Feedback: To ensure the final product resonates with the intended audience, I would actively seek and incorporate feedback from potential users or stakeholders. Understanding their perspectives can provide valuable insights and help tailor the visualization to better meet their needs and expectations.
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Please do not steal my work. It took uncountable cups of coffee and sleepless nights. Thank you.