databureau:

Census 2011: Data visualization in a media lockup

Early Wednesday morning, Statistics Canada released data for the first of five census 2011 topics: population and dwelling counts.

For the Globe and Mail, it was the first time ever that we’ve sent a member of our digital team to the census media lockup in Ottawa.
The goal was to take a numbers-heavy story, break it down in a clear, visual way and publish it as quickly as possible so that the explainers could accompany the breaking news. Despite some internet connectivity issues at the lockup, it was pretty successful.

Advanced work was done to build the interactives ahead of time based on previous StatsCan numbers. Once in the lockup, our interactives developer was able to work with editors and reporters to add in the new numbers and make adjustments based on the new trends.

Together, the Globe and Mail staff on site created two interactive graphics: an interactive summary of the Census release itself, and a timeline chart showing the population of Canada by province over the past 55 years. The Canadian Press was also working on an interactive in the lockup and their map that allows users to zoom into their community is also on our site.

Coool