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	<title>Spatial Analysis &#187; ONS</title>
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		<title>A Good Example of Misleading Visualization</title>
		<link>http://spatialanalysis.co.uk/2009/09/a-good-example-of-misleading-visualization/</link>
		<comments>http://spatialanalysis.co.uk/2009/09/a-good-example-of-misleading-visualization/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:34:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ONS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Population]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visualization]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jamescheshire.co.uk/?p=243</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently attended the &#8220;Summer School in Practical Survey Analysis&#8221; hosted by Oxford Unversity&#8217;s Department of Sociology. One session was devoted to examples of good data visualization. The example used to demonstrate a good map is shown immediately below and is taken from this page on the Office for National Statistics website. Many of us ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently attended the &#8220;Summer School in Practical Survey Analysis&#8221; hosted by Oxford Unversity&#8217;s<a href="http://www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank"> Department of Sociology</a>. One session was devoted to examples of good data visualization. The example used to demonstrate a good map is shown immediately below and is taken from <a href="http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=457" target="_blank">this page</a> on the Office for National Statistics website.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://spatialanalysis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Slide21.png"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://spatialanalysis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Slide21.png" alt="ONS Non-White Popn Map" width="215" height="322" /></a></p>
<p>Many of us felt it would actually serve as an example of poor visualization for reasons that I think are worth mentioning here. Aside from the fact that it is missing a North Arrow and Scale, the map is misleading. The highest category represents areas where between 6.4% to 60.6% of the population are non-white. This range of values grouped together is too large in this context. Additional categories in the data would highlight the exceptional areas and prevent areas with a population of only 7% non-white, for example, being grouped with areas characterised by a population that is over 60% non-white.  In addition the spatial units (Administrative Districts) used to plot the data are too course. The Admin. Districts create an impression that the non-white ethnic groups are fairly evenly spread across Central and Southern England, and, aside from London, not clustered in major urban centres as the associated text suggests (<a href="http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=457">ONS, 2004</a>). Reproducing this map with smaller spatial units (such as Super Output Areas) and a greater number of categories for the data would produce a much more accurate picture of the spatial distribution of the non-white population in the UK today. This example demonstrates the importance of a critical eye when viewing all visualizations, no matter how official the publication may be!</p>
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