Hi #SmartCommunity friends, in this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a brilliant discussion with Dr. Nina Valkanova. Nina is a design strategist with 20 years experience in digital innovation across consultancies, labs and applied research.

In this episode Nina tells us about her research on civic data visualisations in public spaces and how they can shift urban technologies from purely efficiency-driven environments to participation and reflection-based learning settings. Nina and I discuss the different approaches needed for diverse audiences - from passive public audiences to commercial stakeholders to students in educational settings.

We talk about the role of aesthetics and emotion in creating curiosity and engagement, the ethical implications of displaying public data, and the challenges of balancing meaning with aesthetic appeal. We finish our chat discussing Nina's advice about embracing data storytelling for interpretation rather than just comprehension and the importance of making the unspoken visible. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Kabi Kabi peoples  and edited on Gaibal country.   

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.

Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends. Welcome back to this very special series here on the Smart Community Podcast, all about data storytelling, As part of my PhD research, I've been speaking with experts from all over the world who are using data visualisations and storytelling in real world projects to support decision making and advocacy.

In this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a great conversation with friend of the podcast, Prof Marcus Foth. Marcus has been on the show twice before, in Episode 230 and also way back in Episode 4!

Marcus is a Professor in urban informatics and strategic design at the QUT School of Design at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. With extensive experience at the intersection of people, place, and technology, he leads research into smart city infrastructure adoption, sustainability approaches, and data governance issues.

In this episode Marcus tells us about his recent work analysing the Brisbane 2032 Olympics stadium controversy and how a community group used data from other stadiums to reveal that the narrative presented for the proposed stadium may not be telling the whole story. We talk about the role of sophisticated data visualisation consultancies in creating narratives that serve corporate lobbying interests over community needs and the how increasing accessibility of AI tools may help democratise data visualisation and address the skills, knowledge and resources gap for grassroots advocacy groups.
We talk about some impactful data visualisation examples from ABC's investigative journalism that combat misinformation, as well as data governance challenges and lack of data literacy in the community. We finish our chat discussing Marcus' perspective on the need for critical thinking when using new data tools and the importance of civic engagement in our democracy. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital

This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.

Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends, in this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a fantastic chat with Jack Zhao.

Jack is a designer and maker of data visualisation with over 15 years of experience in research and industry. He co-founded Small Multiples with his partner Andrea Lau, where they help clients across all industries and sectors make data useful. Their recent focus has been on environment and sustainability projects, recognising the urgent need for attention in this space given the ongoing climate situation globally.

In this episode Jack tells us about Small Multiples' work on environmental projects including helping councils measure recycling accessibility through spatial data visualisation and tracking litter across New South Wales for the Environmental Protection Agency. Jack and I discuss their design process from initial client conversations through to deployment, emphasising the importance of understanding audience needs and iterating based on feedback.

We talk about memorable examples including Periscopic’s powerful US gun deaths visualisation and Small Multiples' own Census Explorer project spanning three Australian censuses. We finish our chat discussing Jack's advice about leveraging AI to break capacity bottlenecks while focusing on specific audiences rather than designing for generic users. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with Jack Zhao on LinkedIn

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital
This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.

Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends. Welcome back to this very special series here on the Smart Community Podcast, all about data storytelling as part of my PhD research.

In this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a fantastic chat with Kelly Henderson.

Kelly is Team Leader of Digital Innovation at Wellington City Council in New Zealand. With a background in architecture, urban development, and major transport and infrastructure projects, Kelly now brings a digital lens to local government innovation.

In this episode Kelly tells us about how Wellington City Council uses data visualisation and storytelling both internally for decision-making and externally for community engagement. Kelly and I discuss the challenges of creating consistent, accessible data dashboards across a large organisation, and the power of digital twins to make complex climate and urban data engaging for the public.

We talk about the importance of testing assumptions about audiences, the tension between transparency and accessibility in data sharing, and the need for future scenario planning in urban development. We finish our chat discussing Kelly's advice about keeping data storytelling simple while embracing depth in data communication. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital
This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends. Welcome back to this very special series here on the Smart Community Podcast, all about data storytelling as part of my PhD research.

In this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a brilliant discussion with Dr Dietmar Offenhuber.

Dietmar is a professor at Northeastern University in Boston and chair of the Art and Design Department. With a background originally in architecture, Dietmar has spent decades exploring information visualisation.

In this episode Dietmar tells us about his expanded concept of visualisation beyond traditional data mapping, and his theory of "autographic design" - which is a method for visualising the emergence of data rather than just its final representation. We talk about the importance of understanding context over generalising visualisation principles and lessons learned from bottom-up citizen data collection efforts.

Dietmar and I discuss about accountability technologies, the challenges of assuming theories of change in data visualisation, and why physical traces can sometimes be more powerful than sophisticated data displays. We finish our chat discussing Dietmar's advice about keeping data storytelling simple while embracing its speculative and playful aspects. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with The Smart Community Podcast via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital

This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.

Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends. Welcome back to this very special series here on the Smart Community Podcast, all about data storytelling, which is part of my PhD research
In this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a brilliant discussion with Dr Zina O'Leary.

Zina is a sociologist, methodological expert and research communication specialist bridging statistics and qualitative research, data and stories. Zina helps organisations transform data into impactful, implementable change.

In this episode Zina tells us about the communication gap between research and real-world implementation and how living in an age of information abundance has implications for data storytelling. Zina and I discuss the importance of audience-focused objectives and moving beyond "what do I want to say" to "what do I want the audience to do”, plus why traditional academic writing formats fail to engage audiences.

We talk about practical tools like multi-criteria analysis and scenario planning for decision-making. We finish our chat discussing Zina's advice for overcoming the biggest challenge in data visualisation - creating what works for your audience rather than what works for you. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect:
Connect with Dr. Zina O’Leary on LinkedIn

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital
This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.

Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends. Welcome back to this very special series here on the Smart Community Podcast, all about data storytelling, As part of my PhD research, I’m speaking with experts from all over the world who are using data visualisations and storytelling in real world projects to support decision making and advocacy.

In this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a fantastic chat with Dr Phillip Gough.

Phillip is a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney in the School of Architecture Design and Planning, specialising in human-centred design and interaction design. As a designer and researcher, he focuses on building and evaluating interactive systems, with particular expertise in biomaterials for a sustainable circular economy.

In this episode Phillip tells us about his work with clinicians at Westmead Hospital developing decision support tools for emergency department triage, and his collaboration with agricultural companies using satellite data to optimise cattle movement across Australia. Phillip and I discuss the importance of understanding user workflows, the difference between effective or functional and affective or emotional data visualisation, and the challenges of working within existing technical constraints such as the software or platforms available to a particular organisation or situation.

We talk about the way data visualisations can be both playful or creative, and purposeful and meaningful, plus the way data can be art, or the concept of data physicalisation. We finish our chat discussing Phillip's perspective on making invisible information visible through visualisation and his advice for exploring personal data through creative practice. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital

This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.

Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Hi #SmartCommunity friends. Welcome back to this very special series here on the Smart Community Podcast, all about data storytelling. As part of my PhD research, I've been speaking with experts from all over the world who are using data visualisations and storytelling in real world projects to support decision making and advocacy.

In today's episode of the Smart Community Podcast, I'm speaking with Rocio Rodriguez Almaraz. I actually met Rocio on the Homeward Bound leadership program, and we spent some time in Antarctica together. Rocio is a campaign strategist, documentary producer and project manager focused on climate change campaigns and projects, based in Argentina.

Rocio and I discuss the role and importance of data visualisation and storytelling in advocacy, strategies to use data to engage audiences and create impact, as well as the challenges faced by NGOs and small organisations in communicating effectively due to limited resources.

We talk about the need to tailor communication and data visualisations to different audiences and contexts, and the ways digital tools can be used in direct community engagement. Rocio shares some examples of impactful data visualisations and their influences on decision-making and public awareness, and reflects on the complexities of measuring impact and attributing change to specific communication efforts.

We finish our chat with Rocio's advice about using data visualisation to prioritise what's most important to communicate. As always, we hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with Rocio on LinkedIn

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital
This podcast is recorded on  Yugarabul country and edited on Gaibal country.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.