Visualization isn’t just about fancy charts

Continuing from my last post on how data isn’t everything, visualization isn’t just about finding cool ways to show off data. “Visualization”, which seems to be a hot topic at the moment, is more than that. While it might be a buzzword that refers to showcasing data and statistics in a interesting way, I think … Continue reading Visualization isn’t just about fancy charts

Data isn’t everything – let’s balance it with common sense

I love visualizations, data, and information and finding creative ways to turn it into something interesting and useful. It’s a great way to take advantage of the analytical and creative sides of the brain. At the same time, I’m quite aware that even if the world is becoming more visual and addicted to stats and … Continue reading Data isn’t everything – let’s balance it with common sense

The Open Data Revolution

There’s a bit of a revolution going under most people’s noses and it is probably something most people won’t think about even if we need this revolution whether we realize it or not. And at the same time people contribute to this revolution even if they don’t know about it. It’s a good thing – … Continue reading The Open Data Revolution

The Book: IIIDaward 2011

In 2011, the International Institute for Information Design (IIID) was celebrating its 25th anniversary. As part of its celebration and in cooperation with Axis Magazine and the Taiwan Design Center, it launched its inaugural Award for recognizing the best in what information design has to offer. The organization’s aim is to promote and expand design … Continue reading The Book: IIIDaward 2011

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… making data-backed decisions

Counting is one of the basic things we do when we make decisions. Do I need to buy one or two apples?  How many pairs of pants do I want? The ability to make a judgement is backed by both what we know and don’t know. Expand this to grander decisions like how to build … Continue reading Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… making data-backed decisions

If we’re on the information superhighway, can we slow down?

… or at least learn to enjoy the ride (like this photo of the drive along Lac Leman between Geneva and Lausanne)? In the day and age of having information at our fingertips and spending probably 8 hours a day of a computer, how do we learn to slow down? With most of us on … Continue reading If we’re on the information superhighway, can we slow down?

Life’s a whirlwind tour… time to make a change.

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything in this blog. I think it’s time for a change to coincide with the change in what my blog’s going to be about. If you look at the sidebar of my blog, I’ve been writing seriously in this blog since 2006. But most of it’s been about … Continue reading Life’s a whirlwind tour… time to make a change.

UN Virtual Library in Timor-Leste

While working for the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s office in Timor-Leste, I was asked to put together a virtual library so that all the UN’s publications from Timor-Leste could be accessed online. At the time there was no systematic organization of the UN’s publications in an easy place to find. The virtual library was built … Continue reading UN Virtual Library in Timor-Leste

Day 4 (#GISDay) – It's all about the data!

More and more people keep attending the afternoon seminars… including today’s presentation by the National Statistics Directorate of Timor-Leste. One of the key things in this 10-year old country is to get a better understanding about its population and what are the challenges to its growth. Timor-Leste will be conducting its national census next year … Continue reading Day 4 (#GISDay) – It's all about the data!

OCHA ROAP Map Atlas

As part of an ongoing project on Natural Hazard Risk for UNOCHA’s regional office in Asia and the Pacific, after analyzing and producing a hazard risk map for each country in the region, the final accumulation was to produce a publication. This was the cover I designed using Wordle. The rest of the publication was … Continue reading OCHA ROAP Map Atlas