Tag Archives: data visualization

Jul201028

Lauren Rabaino

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Introducing Hacks/Hackers Los Angeles

We’re proud to announce the addition of a Los Angeles branch to the ever-growing Hacks/Hackers nationwide network.

Thursday, July 8, more than a dozen members of the Los Angeles journogeek scene joined up for the first introductory Hacks/Hackers LA meetup at Redwood Bar and Grill, conveniently located across the street from the LA Times.

Our first meetup was a mingling event for our community members to get to know each other and for us, the organizers, to get a feel for the kinds of ideas and interests floating around the Los Angeles community.

What we talked about

Most of the conversations throughout the night were in small, circulating circles. A few recurring topics:

Data visualization: What works, what’s possible, what has fallen flat in the past.

Multimedia strategies: One man-band strategy vs. the in-house multimedia inspection team.

Journalism education: Yes, it’s a topic that has been discussed over and over again in journogeek circles, but for a good reason: we all agree that it still needs work. A few memorable notes from discussions about journalism education:

  • Many students still care too much about the “grade” rather than the value of the experience they gain. This isn’t the fault of the students, but of the general mindset and educational structure upheld by traditional institutions
  • How valuable are entrepreneurial journalism classes/programs? Can you truly teach entrepreneurialism in a classroom setting?

And, just for fun: Hidden food gems in the Southland: Korean clambakes and SF/SD-worthy burritos

What the Twitterverse said

Now that we’ve all had the chance to meet and talk, future meetups will be more structured and thematic with speakers, panels, presentations — you name it. We’re open to ideas from everyone.

Keep an eye on this blog for and our freshly-created Facebook page for updates on the place and theme of the next meetup.

Michelle Minkoff, Eric Zassenhaus and Lauren Rabaino are co-organizers of Hacks/Hackers LA.

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Apr201009

Burt Herman

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The art of data visualization: Stamen Design event wrapup

Eric Rodenbeck, Stamen Design

The art of making sense of data — and it is truly an art — is a key element in building the future of journalism. Interactive presentations created from data can be personalized by the reader, giving a more engaging news experience. Data-based applications can also lead to new business models, through paid or subscription-based applications that give extra value to readers by providing a new dimension on news coverage.

One of the leaders in data visualization is Stamen Design, which has worked with news organizations and museums alike to help make sense of the world through its unique views of data.

Speaking to a Hacks/Hackers event this week at the Gray Area Foundation For The Arts, Stamen founder Eric Rodenbeck discussed some of his firm’s work and philosiphy.

Some highlights from the presentation:

Create maps as tools for exploration

Stamen doesn’t have any preconceptions for what they want their visualizations to show. They aim to create interfaces that allow users to come to their own conclusions about what they see. Part of this is insuring that the data they use is as complete and accurate as possible. They also don’t try to clean up outliers in their data that might appear to be unexpected noise cluttering up a visualization.

Issues of data access

When Stamen was about to release their visualization of crime data in Oakland, the city shut off access to the data pipe. Access to open data is obviously essential for these applications. This is one area where journalists and developers can work together. With their experience finding sources and doing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, reporters can help obtain the right information in the right format so that designers and developers can build a complete visualization. That takes an understanding on both sides of what’s available and what format is required.

The best data come from human actions

Data that come from actual human activity is best starting point for creating visualizations. This means information based on how people behave in the real world, not doing something like filling out surveys.

Data that come from actual human activity is best starting point for creating visualizations

Current tools are complicated and expensive

There are some easy-to-use tools for doing this work, such as Google Maps. But when you want to go beyond just sticking red pins on a map, it can get complicated very quickly. Stamen’s projects require complex and expensive tools that aren’t easily usable by non-techies. Perhaps this will change and there are some people working in this space, such as IBM’s Many Eyes project.

Print-on-demand as a way to bridge the digital divide

Print media through small on-demand runs could be a way to bridge the digital divide and bring some of the information gleaned from data analysis to a wider audience. There have recently been some efforts to use downtime on big presses for short runs.

Want to hear more? The video of the event is embedded below, and here are some photos.

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