DennisDeery.com

Anyone who’s spent any time watching CSPAN lately knows that public policy debates in the U.S. often center on dramatic stories. Opposing sides compete to see who can bring the most tearful witnesses to the table, who can show the most heart-wrenching photos, or who can present the most dramatic anger. That’s a natural tactic. Policy discussions, like most debates, are a sales job, and good salesmen are those who are able to make emotional connections. Unfortunately, in both sales and policy discussions, emotional connections do very little to guarantee a good outcome. Emotional reactions to anecdotal stories can often skew the discussion, causing participants to overlook hard data. Again, perfectly natural - most people have difficulty dealing with the piles and piles of numbers that weigh on a policy decision.

A Swede named Hans Rosling has come up with an excellent solution to this problem. He’s developed some software that can present multiple variables of data in time series through animated charts. He’s got a gift for presenting data using stories that can connect with his audiences, and his presentations are backed up by the unique data displays his software makes possible. I think he presents a great example of how people who understand data can use it to tell stories and actually sway debates of all kinds.

You can see a couple of videos of Hans in action here and here.

Google has recently purchased Hans’ Trendalyzer software, and it’s now available online in beta form here. With Google’s resources, look for some great things to come out of this project.

Growing up in southwest Wisconsin, tornado watches and warnings were a constant feature of summer life. As a little kid, I can remember trips to the basement to wait out the storm, and when I got a little older I got to join Dad on tornado watch for the local volunteer fire department. I can still vividly remember the night the tornado hit Barneveld, Wisconsin, and the phone rang in the middle of the night calling for ambulance volunteers. A few weeks later Dad and I went to Barneveld for a day to help with cleanup, and it remains one of the most amazing displays of nature’s power that I’ve ever seen.

The University of Michigan Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences has created a Google map mashup that allows you to view tornado paths overlaid on an interactive map. Using Google Earth, you can even fly a bird’s-eye view of the tornado path. Their database includes tornadoes from 1950 to 2005. You can search for tornadoes by date, strength and zip code. Looking at this map of my hometown, it certainly looks like a dangerous place to live!

This site is also a great example of the Google Map interface that allows programmers to overlay data on interactive Google maps. This is a great tool for presenting geographic data without a lot of work or cost. Google has launched an initiative to help nonprofit organizations present data to support their causes - check out the gallery.

Finally, a couple of examples of Google maps that I’ve done for client sites:

Menomonie Recreation Department

Greater Menomonie Chamber of Commerce