By Alex Clampett & Grace Facer

Making the Invisible Visible

Vizualisations have become an integral aspect of communicating information to the public sphere

Shark Attacks and Jaw-dropping Visualizations

Visual representation of information regarding fatal shark attacks through two visualizations:

1.Depiction of the most statistically aggressive shark species’, which have caused the greatest number of injuries or deaths since 1580.2. Image, which conveys the locations within Australia that have experienced the greatest number of shark attacks.

Visual information is more quickly and easily understood, and much more likely to be remembered

Organisation of data influences publics’ engagement with it requiring visual and more accessible format

Captivating way to present the data and draws direct links between the pictures used and the facts being presented

The Great (White) Debate: Why should we make this data

visual?

Summarised complex data in order to provide a visual representation, which makes identifying the most aggressive shark species simple

Positive identification of attacking sharks is often difficult

Images are more easily recognisable and memorable than shark species names. Creation of a more easily comprehendable means to express complex content.

To what extent are we making something invisible visible?

Visualization: Top 5 Attacking Shark Species 1580-2013

(Data Source: International Shark Attack File, 2014)Number of recorded attacks

Sh

ark

sp

ecie

s (c

om

mon

n

am

e)

White

Tiger

Bull

Sand TigerBlackTip373 137 88 67 32

Visualization:

Society and Sharks

Publics: marine biologists, government officials, lifeguards and the general public

Debunking myth all sharks are equally dangerous

Isolating areas that may need additional protection for beach goers

Rarity of shark attacks – 194 deaths in Australia since 1788.

International Shark Attack File 2014, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, accessed 8 October 2014, <https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/species3.htm>.

Krum, R 2013, Cool Infographics: Effective Communication with Data Visualization and Design, John Wiley and Sons Inc, New York.

Buttler, R 2008, The World’s Most Dangerous Sharks – Attack Stats,Mongabay, accessed 8 October 2014, <http://danger.mongabay.com/shark_attacks.htm>.

 'List of shark attacks in Australia', Wikipedia, 2014, Accessed: 8th October 2014, Source: from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_shark_attacks_in_Australia

'Latest Figures', Toronga Zoo, 2014, Accessed: 8th October 2014, Source: from: http://taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/conservation-science/australian-shark-attack-file/latest-figures

http://sharkattackfile.info/shark_attack_country_totals/australia/shark_attacks_australia_stat_totals_location.asp

‘Base Map of Australia’, Accessed: 8th October 2014, from: http://historyfd.net/isern/381/ozbase.htm

References