How can you visualize air pollution data for better communication?

2 Choose your format

Once you have a clear idea of your data and your story, you need to choose the most appropriate format for your visualization. There are many types of visualizations that can be used to display air pollution data, such as maps, charts, graphs, tables, dashboards, or infographics. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type, size, and complexity of your data, as well as the level of detail, interactivity, and aesthetics that you want to achieve. For example, maps are great for showing spatial distribution and variation of air pollution, but they can be misleading if the scale, projection, or color scheme are not well chosen. Charts and graphs are useful for showing trends, patterns, and relationships of air pollution, but they can be confusing if they are overloaded with too many variables, categories, or labels. Tables are good for presenting precise and numerical values of air pollution, but they can be boring and hard to read if they are too long or dense. Dashboards and infographics are effective for summarizing and highlighting key facts and insights of air pollution, but they can be distracting and inaccurate if they are not well designed and aligned with the data.

3 Follow best practices

When creating visualizations of air pollution data, you should consider some general best practices. Titles, labels, legends, and captions should be clear and consistent to explain your data and message. Appropriate and meaningful scales, axes, units, and intervals should be used to represent your data in order to avoid distortion or misinterpretation. Contrasting and harmonious colors, shapes, sizes, and fonts can be used to differentiate and emphasize your data and message. Simple and intuitive symbols, icons, images, and animations can illustrate your data and message. Interactive and responsive features such as filters, sliders, tooltips, or zooms can allow your audience to explore your data. Additionally, reliable and credible sources should be used to support your data and message.

4 Test and refine

Before sharing your visualization of air pollution data with your audience, you need to test and refine it. Ensure it is accurate, clear, engaging, informative, and conveys your message effectively and persuasively. Ask yourself questions such as if your visualization matches your data and story, answers the questions you or your audience have about the data, shows the most important and relevant aspects of the data, avoids unnecessary or misleading information or elements, and appeals to your audience's emotions, values, and interests. Additionally, get feedback from others such as colleagues, peers, or experts who can provide different perspectives, opinions, and suggestions on how to improve your visualization. By doing so, you can create visualizations that can help you communicate your findings, insights, and recommendations to various audiences in order to contribute to the awareness and action on this critical environmental and health issue.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?