I was fortunate to receive an alert from David Smith about New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment release of the New Zealand Tourism Dashboard. It is an interactive application which enables New Zealand residents and anyone else interested to explore the economic impact of tourism in New Zealand.
The dashboard uses Shiny. Data are analysed and visualised using R .
I think it is a great case study in the use of open data.
It encouraged me to think about how we make data visualisation an everyday part of our lives. I was spurred on by two other alerts.
Savo Heleta discussed how academics can change the world “if they stop talking only to their peers”. I think this exhortation is very relevant when we consider how we share data.
Then along came Leonie Barton. She was the subject of an ABC Off Track recording. Last year, Leonie “walked, observed, collected and arranged found objects into pieces of environmental art”. Ann Jones notes:
Her materials mostly come directly from nature and include sticks, seeds and bits of bark she has walked past. She arranges them carefully in a way that clearly shows a human imprint. And she just leaves them there.
Last year I wrote about visualisations opening our eyes a little wider. The New Zealand dashboard and Leonie’s environmental art do this, I think.
I like the idea of data being on show in ways that go beyond peer conversations. It is what attracted me to Zines many years ago. It is what fascinates me about Banksy too.
Photo Credits
Frame Grab New Zealand Tourism Dashboard
Frame Grab Leonie Barton Instagram
Banksy on Chirag’s building (Aisling Chin-Yee, CC BY-NC 2.0)
Helllo. Interesting article. Thank you for linking back to the Instagram feed. I hope this note finds you well.
Hello Leonie
Thank you for finding the post. I find your work stunning.
Helped me think about how to share, surprise and delight.
Keith