Stanford Spatial History project
Welcome back!
This week, I will compare data layouts, including color, formatting, and presentation. Additionally, I will address the following questions:
- What choices were made by the designers as they prepared to display the data?
- What limiting factors did they have to take into account?
- What stories are they telling?
- Who is the audience and how much do they know before looking at the visualization?
- What further questions might the visualization inspire others to pursue?
I will be reviewing projects from Stanford Spatial History project which is website that is no longer being updated as of 2022 (FYI). You can locate the website here.
For my first example I am reviewing the Holocaust Geographies Collaborative.
Next, I am interested in the new order data from 1938 to 1945. Figure 6, Revisionist Power Land Area Changes, allows us to review territorial changes up to 1945 and observe how the data shifts each year. In this example, I have highlighted the years 1938 and 1944.
The information layout is clear and easy to follow. I especially appreciate the toggle options that allow for viewing each year and observing how the data changes over time. The color choices are simple yet effective, with black, for example, used to highlight dramatic gains in Germany.
The designers focused on land area changes during WWII, telling the story of how revisionist powers fared during the war. The intended audience is likely individuals with a general interest in history, such as students or researchers. Before looking at the visualization, they may have a basic understanding of WWII but might not be familiar with the specific territorial changes or the role of revisionist powers.
I believe they chose a bar graph to represent the data because it clearly illustrates yearly gains and losses. As for limiting factors, based on the reading, cartographers used borders to show prejudice. Propaganda was widespread during this time, and what better way to portray it than by depicting borders, disputed territories, or occupation zones in a specific way? These maps could influence public opinion and reinforce resistance against the occupiers.
One question the visualization might inspire is: How do the land area changes during WWII compare to territorial shifts in other major conflicts in history?
Okay, let’s move onto our second data visualization.
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