Journocoders: Data visualisation for exploring and communicating with Let's Plot
This month we'll be learning how to use visualisation to explore and communicate with data using Let's Plot.
Exploratory data visualisation can be the first step when working with a new dataset, where you examine and summarise it to understand its main characteristics, identifying patterns, outliers, relationships, and problems in the data, as well as guiding further analysis. Once you understand your data, the next step can be communicating your understanding to others visually. We're going to cover both, as they require different approaches.
Let's Plot is a Python library based on the principles of having a 'grammar of graphics', a powerful and easy-to-understand way of approaching data visualisation.
In this session we'll be following a tutorial that covers how to generate questions about your data, how to search for answers by visualising your data using Let's Plot, and how to use what you learn to refine your questions. We'll then look at how Let's Plot can be used to visualise your findings for your readers.
We'll be using the Python programming language in this session. If you've ever used Python before that's helpful, but isn't necessary.
All of our events are suitable for beginners, and no programming experience is required. Bring a laptop along as this a practical, hands-on workshop. Please also sign up for a Dropbox account if you don't already have one so you can edit the shared doc we'll be using during the event.
Schedule
7:00 🚪 Doors open
7:30 🗣 Show and tell
7:40 💻 Tutorial
9:00 🍺 Drinks at the Prince Arthur
If you can't make the main event, you're also welcome to just join us in the pub from 9!
What is Journocoders? We are a community and monthly meetup for journalists and other people in the media who want to learn technical skills for use in their reporting -- and meet likeminded others.
Our events do often fill up, but if it's full please do join the waitlist as spaces do typically become available. And if you find you can no longer make it, please update your RSVP so someone else can take your spot.