From tables to maps: Visualising geographic data using DataWrapper

While making quick charts using a spreadsheet tool might be easy, making maps with geographic data usually requires GIS skills. This workshop will demonstrate how to make quantitative data maps quickly without any special GIS or design skills – be it for a corporate presentation, news reporting or a school project!

The workshop will use the free version of the online tool DataWrapper.

If you're anyone who has wondered how to make simple maps with some data, this workshop is for you. All you need is a laptop with internet, a web-browser and loads of curiosity!

1. Maps are information graphics

• Just like pictures and charts, maps are visualisations that show geospatial information.
• Geographic map – Political and Physical, Thematic maps – data viz, Schematic maps – metro maps)
• Maps as medium of storytelling – as a data graphic, as an full story medium, as art

2. Type of data maps

• Locator - Location of an event
• Symbol - Data at a point location
• Choropleth - Data for a region

3. Locator map

• Data is usually a set of latitude and longitude.
• Can add manually, copy paste google links
• Can get point list from excel
• Can get geojson from Google MyMaps
• Styling and exporting the map

4. Symbol map

• Data as a list of lat,lon along with a value to visualise
• Dataset from sheet
• Symbol sizing and styling

5. Choropleths

• Data as region and values
• DW has its own set of regions, so need to match up
• Choosing colour scales and styling

6. Advanced techiniques

• Adding custom geojson from Google MyMaps, ChatGPT
• Adding custom shapes from Overpass turbo

7. Common pitfalls of map design and how to avoid them

• Bad examples, especially choropleths
• Symbol sizing pitfalls - radius vs area, centered at middle (circle) or base (triangles)
• Too much information, lack of clarity