Analytics Dispatch 10/17/2016
Data in the deep fryer
OUTSIZED OUTLIER
How One 19-Year-Old Illinois Man Is Distorting National Polling Averages
This deep-dive into the methodology of an election poll highlights how decisions about sample size weighting can increase the impact of a single data point. - The Upshot
RUNNING ON EMPTY
The Data of the Chicago Marathon
Examine the numbers behind various aspects of marathon performance, including how to avoid hitting the wall, the best indicator of finish time, and how women are more disciplined runners than men. - Running with Data
THE GREAT WALL(S)
Raising Barriers: A New Age of Walls, Episode 1
In a great example of interactive data journalism, explore how globalization has led to the explosive growth of barriers between countries. - The Washington Post
TASTY ALGORITHMS
Deep-Fried Data
Opening your data can lead to unpredictable benefits, but requires being open to unexpected uses of your data. - Idle Words
People are talking about: Hurricane Matthew
Last week, Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and coastal US. The impact of the storm's destruction is impossible to calculate (the death toll in Haiti is at 1,000 and climbing), but there's already been many attempts to quantify its force:
- Hurricane Matthew's Water Footprint (USGS)
- Watch Hurricane Matthew Spin in These Rainbow Visualizations (Popular Science)
- Weather Buoy Captures the Eye of Hurricane Matthew (OffGrid)
New from Mode
Often the best visualizations for exploring data are interactive, and there are only a handful of Python libraries that can create shareable, interactive charts. We've shared five of our favorites.
Check out Mode's new shortcuts feature, which lets you add report links in multiple Spaces to help coworkers access relevant analysis more quickly.