Data Vis Dispatch,
March 1

The best of last week’s big and small data visualizations

Welcome back to the 35th edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’ll be publishing a collection of the best small and large data visualizations we find, especially from news organizations — to celebrate data journalism, data visualization, simple charts, elaborate maps, and their creators.

Recurring topics this week include the Russia-Ukraine war and the latest IPCC report.

Last Thursday, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. Since then graphics reporters around the world have been busy explaining the situation with maps and charts — I collected maps from 47 different sources in this Twitter thread last week. News organizations like The New York Times, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Financial Times, BBC, El País, The Times, Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Público, USA Today, and Al Jazeera have updated map collections on the conflict. Here are a few of the maps they and others created over the last few days:

The Wall Street Journal: Ukrainian Capital Rocked by Explosions as Russia Intensifies Attack, February 25
Neue Zürcher Zeitung: Putins Truppen rücken immer näher an Kiew heran – diese interaktive Karte zeigt den Stand des Krieges, updated March 1
Los Angeles Times: Three maps explaining the Russia-Ukraine conflict, February 26
Institute for the Study of War: Assessed Control of Terrain in Ukraine and Main Russian Maneuver Axes as of February 28, 2022, 3:00 PM EST, February 28
The Economist: Where have Russian attacks taken place in Ukraine?, February 24
Atlatszo: “Legalább 137 ukrán katona vagy civil vesztette életét az orosz-ukrán háború első napján. A katonai inváziót számos ukrán várost, repteret és katonai létesítményt célzó légitámadás követte. Az orosz katonák a csernobili atomerőművet is elfoglalták,” February 25 (Tweet)
El Confidencial: La lucha llega a las calles de Kiev y Rusia asegura haber tomado Melitopol, February 25
La Vanguardia: Siete días para una guerra: así ha sido la escalada de tensión en el conflicto de Ucrania, February 25
Financial Times: Russia mobilises for assault on Kyiv as its troops storm Ukraine, February 25

Many newsrooms also tried to provide context on the war and on Ukraine. How did we get here? What was the situation before last Thursday? Why would Russia choose to invade? What does Ukraine have to work with?

Reuters: Russia invades Ukraine, updated February 28
Les Echos: Ukraine – Russie : comprendre la crise en 4 cartes, February 23
The Wall Street Journal: Putin’s Endgame: Unravel the Post-Cold War Agreements That Humiliated Russia, February 22
Bloomberg: There are Bigger Atomic Worries Than Chernobyl in Ukraine, February 25
The New York Times: How to Think About Ukraine, in Maps and Charts, February 25
CNN: Half of Russians say it would be right to use military force to keep Ukraine out of NATO, February 23
The Guardian: Russia’s war in Ukraine: complete guide in maps, video and pictures, updated March 1
The Economist: The military gap between Russia and Ukraine is vast, February 25

Already in the days before the 24th of February, the Donbas region of Ukraine was in focus. It’s been disputed by Russian-backed forces for years, and the ceasefire in place there was repeatedly broken in the last two weeks:

The Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Calls Up Reservists as Russian Troops Pour Into Breakaway Region; West Steps Up Sanctions, February 22
Financial Times: What are Putin’s options after recognising breakaway regions in Ukraine?, February 23
The Economist: The conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region is escalating rapidly, February 22
USA Today: What is Donbas and how does it fit into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?, February 24
Le Monde: Guerre en Ukraine : le Donbass, levier stratégique de Vladimir Poutine, February 24 (Tweet)

Many news organizations focused on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, which Russian forces are trying to enter:

El País: Mapa del avance ruso hoy en Ucrania: las tropas se concentran cerca de Kiev, updated March 1
Sotiris Valkaniotis: “Night #Landsat scene (Feb 24 21:35 local time) captures the battle for #Hostomel Air Base west of Kyiv #Ukraine. Despite darkness and cloud cover, SWIR band 7 marks a distinct hotspot around the SE part of the airport,” February 25 (Tweet)
Financial Times: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in maps — latest updates, updated March 1
Público: Rússia invade a Ucrânia: um guia visual para entender a guerra, February 26
Les Echos: Ukraine : ce qu’il faut retenir de la journée du vendredi 25 février, February 25

Approximately 660,000 people have already fled Ukraine by train, bus, or car, and many more are still trying to escape:

Bloomberg: A Visual Guide to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, updated March 1
The Washington Post: Photos and videos show long waits, traffic jams at border crossings as thousands try to leave Ukraine, February 28
Wall Street Journal: Children and Belongings in Tow, Ukrainians Throng Borders Fleeing Russian Invasion, February 25
The New York Times: Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, updated February 28
NBC News: MAP: Half a million Ukrainians are fleeing their country. See where they’re going., February 28
The Economist: “Active conflict zone”: flights over Ukraine diverted, February 24
The Economist: Ukrainian cities are suffering internet blackouts, February 26

People all over the world have protested and demonstrated against the invasion — including in Russia, where protesters are being detained by the police:

The Economist: Russians in every major city and region call for #nowar, February 28
The Times: The Ukraine-Russia war explained in maps and charts, updated February 28
San Francisco Chronicle: These charts show how many Bay Area residents have Ukrainian or Russian heritage, February 25

Most Western countries immediately condemned Putin’s invasion. Now of most interest are the consequences the war will have on the relationship between Russia and China:

South China Morning Post: Russia attacks Ukraine, February 24
Le Grand Continent: Cartographier les réactions à l’invasion de l’Ukraine, updated February 28
Financial Times: Don’t mention the invasion: China spins Russia’s war in Ukraine, February 26
CommonWealth Magazine: 俄羅斯、烏克蘭開戰,會殃及台灣嗎?(“Will the war between Russia and Ukraine affect Taiwan?”), February 24

Many countries were quick to impose sanctions on Russia. War and sanctions have already started to affect the Russian economy:

Correctiv: Live monitoring of all sanctions against Russia, updated March 1
The New York Times: The West’s Plan to Isolate Putin: Undermine the Ruble, February 28
The New Statesman: How the Russian rouble has plummeted to a record low, February 28
The New Statesman: Russian stocks plummet as troops enter Ukraine, February 24
USA Today: Stock markets, energy prices shaken by Russian attack, February 24
Le Monde: Guerre en Ukraine : les avions russes interdits de survol dans la quasi-totalité de l’Europe, February 27

But sanctions are not without risk for European countries that rely on Russian gas:

The New Statesman: How Europe is dependent on Russian gas, February 22
Financial Times: The new energy shock: Putin, Ukraine and the global economy, February 25
Bloomberg: Germany Backs New LNG Plants to Cut Russian Gas Dependence, February 27
The New York Times: Why the Toughest Sanctions on Russia Are the Hardest for Europe to Wield, February 25
The Economist: Commodity prices jump as Russia goes to war, February 24

As Vox and Quartz explain, the war could also have consequences for countries that rely on imports of Russian and Ukrainian wheat:

Vox: What the Russian invasion of Ukraine could mean for global hunger, February 27
Quartz: Conflict in Ukraine could hit Lebanon’s food supply, February 24

The pandemic hasn’t stopped for the war. The New York Times shows new research on the origins of the virus, while others dug deeper into death numbers, why Republicans are less vaccinated, and how much Brits have saved in the past two years:

New York Times: New Research Points to Wuhan Market as Pandemic Origin, February 26
The Economist: Are some countries faking their covid-19 death counts?, February 25
The Washington Post: Coronavirus vaccine protection was much weaker against omicron, data shows, February 22
Vox: How American conservatives turned against the vaccine, February 23
The New York Times: Who’s Requiring Workers to Be Vaccinated?, February 23
The Guardian: Lockdown lifestyles: how has Covid changed lives in the UK?, February 25

In climate and environmental news, the IPCC released their latest report yesterday, and it’s worth a read. We’ve also seen reports on more drought, more wildfire events, more gas flaring, and more clothing — yes, clothing — which, as Bloomberg explains, is “an environmental crisis”:

IPCC: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report), February 28
La Data Cuenta: Costa Rica no es el mayor generador de CO2 del mundo, pero sus emisiones casi se duplicaron en tres décadas, Febraury 28
The Times: Chance of climate recovery vanishing, February 27
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Das bedeutet der Klima­wandel für Deutschland, February 26
The New York Times: How Much Snow Will Fall Where You Live?, February 23
The Economist: Extraordinary wildfire events are happening more often, February 23
Reuters: Up in flames: Gas flaring soars in Mexico, derailing its climate change pledges as it seeks to boost oil output, February 23
Bloomberg: The Global Glut of Clothing Is an Environmental Crisis, February 23

In other news, the U.S. finds that drawing borders is hard:

The Washington Post: Texas’s primaries are happening on a legally disputed congressional map, February 24
StarTribune: Six maps that further explore Minnesota’s redistricting, February 23
San Francisco Chronicle: These maps show no one can agree on S.F. neighborhood boundaries — not even San Francisco city departments, February 24

In politics, women are still underrepresented in most countries, French presidential candidates are still in campaign mode (which creates a lot of garbage), and Boris Johnson is still widely considered incompetent:

La Lettura: La Costa Rica si declina al femminile, February 27 (Tweet)
AFP: “Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. #AFPgraphics on projected food insecurity in Afghanistan, by province for November 2021 to March 2022, and location of internally displaced persons,” February 28 (Tweet)
The Washington Post: D.C. traffic deaths at 14-year high with low-income areas hardest hit, February 23
The Economist: West Africa’s coastal states are bracing for a jihadist storm, February 26
De Tijd: Bouwshift ligt gemeenten op de maag, February 26
Les Echos: Elysée-moi ! La dynamique des candidats à la présidentielle sur les réseaux sociaux, February 22
SBS News: 선거 때 발생하는 쓰레기 얼마나 될까? (“How much garbage is generated during elections?”), February 24
Inkyfada: Loi de finances 2022 : une impasse budgétaire et des mesures vitrine, February 24
Nexo: As funções e as receitas de municípios, estados e União, February 22
Pew Research Center: State of the Union 2022: How Americans view major national issues, February 25
YouGov: Public opinion of Boris Johnson’s competence and trustworthiness reach new lows, February 22

That was a heavy Dispatch so far — let’s end it a bit lighter. First: More Olympics! (Probably for the last week for quite a while.) Two days after the Winter Olympics ended, three newsrooms independently released beautiful visualizations on how unrepresentative the games really are:

The Washington Post: Want a Winter Olympic medal? Pick a very chilly niche, February 22
CNN: The Winter Olympics don’t really represent the world: Costs, climate and quotas keep the majority off the podium, February 22
Bloomberg: The Winter Olympics Are Won by a Small Circle of Countries, Over and Over, February 22

And in our famous “data visualizations that just don’t fit any other category” category (one of our favorites), we’ve seen how NBA teams should have drafted, and how to best solve Portugese Wordle. (For a fun data vis on English Wordle, visit Rose’s Weekly Chart from three weeks ago!)

The Pudding: The NBA Redrafted 2.0, February 28
Nexo: ‘Serão’ é a melhor primeira palavra no Termooo, February 24

What else we found interesting

The Washington Post: Opinion: The long-awaited date, February 22
The Washington Post: Postcards from Earth’s climate futures, February 28

Applications are open for…


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