66th Webinar, ‘Data visualization for understanding and decision-making’ with Víctor Pascual – Summary and materials

Data visualization makes data easier to understand. It aids communication (to the public) and decision-making (at governance level). Data transparency not only involves making the data public. It is necessary to provide visualizations that help citizens understand the policies that are applied and their results.

When we visualize data, the most important thing is to show the trends and patterns that help us understand what is happening and why. The raw numbers are the ‘least important’ thing in the analysis. Tables are generally not a good communication tool. Within an administration that is moving towards digitalization, it is vital to strengthen skills related to working with and using data. Without good communication, the work done with data loses its transformative power.

PowerBI and similar tools are very useful on an internal level. However, it is necessary to dedicate resources to implement the use of web technologies to make visualizations that can be responsive and accessible.