Harnessing Data Visualization for Public Engagement a Case Study: Air Quality Stripes

Data visualisation can serve as a powerful conduit for communicating complex information to diverse audiences.  Research software engineers are often well placed to help researchers visualise complex datasets in a clear and impactful way.  Such visualisations not only enhance accessibility but also foster public engagement and awareness.

In this work we show an example of such a collaboration.  Inspired by the well known Climate Warming Stripes images which vividly show the global temperature change (https://www.reading.ac.uk/planet/climate-resources/climate-stripes) since 1850, we present the Air Quality Stripes, a series of visualisations which depict historical changes in air pollution concentrations from 1850-2021.  These illustrations, produced from publicly available data (UKESM1 CMIP6 ensemble dataset), clearly show the changing trends in air pollution in different cities.  Overall air pollution in Europe and North America was worst in the 1940-1960s but has responded to increased legislation.  Unfortunately air pollution concentrations in many parts of Africa and Asia are rising at a concerning level. These images are being used to stimulate discussions around air quality and inequality around the globe.  Images were produced using Jupyter notebooks on the JASMIN data service.  Input from an experienced RSE was core to the data manipulation, processing and visualisation required to realise this idea. 

These visualizations serve as catalysts for discussions surrounding air quality and societal inequalities worldwide. This presentation underscores the immense potential for RSEs to actively contribute to translating research into engaging and accessible material, thereby fostering broader awareness and understanding of critical global issues.