Planet Pie Chart

The semi dormant volcano that is Pie Charts has bubbled up again over this past week or so but with some excellently sensible discussions and examples.

First sensible mention/discussion came from the ever excellent 💀 Johnny Winter 💀 over on his Greyskull Analytics YouTube channel. Covered off with customary humour and Skeletor appearance. Check out the video here.

Davide Bacci shared a thoughtful post on Pie/Doughnut charts with a link to some commentary by Leland Wilkinson. Davide is a prolific creator and sharer of his Power BI creations in Deneb, well worth a follow.

It wouldn't be a Pie Chart conversation without including some content from Nick Desbarats

Moving on!

After making an apperance on Pie Charts, lets bring Nick Desbarats back for his excellent deconstruction and makeover of an electricity chart he spotted in the wild this week. Really great how he pulls apart the original and then logically explains the improvements he introduces in his makeover.

Nick's website, Practical Reporting, and his books, Practical Charts and More Practical Charts are just stellar resources if you are any way involved in chart making. Not forgetting his equally excellent YouTube channel Practical Reporting.

A bit of the NYT

Loved this short video by Marco Hernandez, Graphics Editor at the New York Times, where he discusses some of the thinking and decision making around what images/visuals/styles they apply to stories.

"Something I love about my job is to become a nerd about different topics. I have to become a nerd about butterflies, about tornadoes, or maybe about the roads in Gaza or how the East Coast is sinking." Marco Hernandez

Superb interactive map of Global Migration by the New York Times

What do you get when one Excel superstar interviews another Excel superstar?

You get this awesome video where Ann K. Emery interviews the ridiculously talented carlos barboza. Great viewing.

Ann's newsletter, YouTube channel and blog are wonderful resources, so check out Depict Data Studio.

I do have to flag that Carlos is a friend of mine, but if you check out his work on his Spilled Graphics website you'll understand how bonkers good he is.

I've gotta get a bit of Excel love in every week don't I.

Moving on.......

The potential flood impacts of the Appalachian "hollers"

I've always had a keen interest in climate and environmental science - or at least reading the insights of minds much sharper than mine. How much sharper? Let's not pull at that thread!

Anyway....I came across this post and image by the consistenly great & interesting feed of Kinga Stryszowska-Hill, Ph.D. and I really wanted to know a bit more about it.

So I reached out to Kinga and she very kindly agreed to answer some of my questions and include her Appalachian "Holler" image.

A quick Q&A with Kinga Stryszowska-Hill, Ph.D.

What is your current job role and general career history?

I am a data scientist at a small global firm that uses IoT devices to monitor drinking water and wastewater. A few years ago I was a University Professor studying wetland ecosystems. I have an educational background in Environmental Science and I love all things related to the natural environment.

When I decided to leave academia, I aimed to land at a company that was doing interesting things with data and the environment. And I succeeded. I first worked at a startup that was monitoring flooding and stormwater systems. Then I transitioned to a company that monitors wastewater. Recently, my company was acquired by a larger company that monitors water resources in general.

If you could set the scene with some background on the Appalachian "Hollers" post?

Much of my work at my company and as personal projects revolves around issues related to flooding and flood resilience. It's a pressing issue globally that IoT devices can be used to monitor and prevent, so it's always on my mind.

How did you create this map/image?

I created this map using ArgGIS Pro, my main tool for creating maps. The information layers in the map are all free resources available from public institutions: elevation (USGS), streams (USGS), and buildings (FEMA). It's how you layer and highlight them that tells the story. I usually move to Canva to do the final finishing touches, like labels and other text.

What is the intended purpose for this piece of work and who is the audience?

The audience for my maps is typically my LinkedIn audience. I aim to make something interesting and educational. The hollers map caught the eye of many people in my feed: insurance workers, resilience planners, ecologists, and civil engineers. I am so happy that the map came across their feed because these are the people implementing change on the ground.

I find the science around water, flood modelling, climate adaption etc fascinating. What other water related projects do you look at?

I agree with you and likewise find them fascinating. I have mapped the trajectories and effects of hurricanes, especially Helene since I live in North Carolina. I am also interested in the causes and distribution of sewer overflows. I like to look for public datasets that are not too difficult to clean and layer them in interesting ways to uncover what might be happening.

You moved from academia into your current role, how're you finding that change?

I found that change exciting and interesting. It has been 4 years since I transitioned from academia to the private sector. I am still learning something new every single day, and I enjoy my work immensely. I feel like I am making a difference in the lives of utility workers and helping the environment by preventing sewer overflows.

That wraps up our conversation so a big, big thank you to Kinga for taking the time out to answer my questions. Hope everyone else enjoyed.

I'd highly recommend following Kinga, one of my favourite feeds on LinkedIn and here is the link to the original post - Kinga's Original LinkedIn Post

Some Music 🎶

So, no banging electronic music recommendation this week, something far more chilled.

Peter Gregson is a British cellist & composer who blends his traditional cello with electronica.

So the album is called Peter Gregson and it is by Peter Gregson, so the album naming committee didn't stretch themselves too hard on that one. Or maybe it was late and they really wanted to go home!

Really, really lovely!

That's all from me

Laters

DJ