The Gamma: Towards open and transparent data-driven storytelling





Tomas Petricek, Alan Turing Institute
@tomaspetricek | thegamma.net | tomasp.net

Welcome to the post-fact world

Technology democratized opinions

Can it also democratize facts?

Data-driven storytelling

Open data-driven storytelling

  • Can the result be reproduced?
    Reinhart–Rogoff, Growth in a Time of Debt

  • Is the visualization misleading?
    One medal per boat or 8 medals per boat?

The Gamma

DEMO: Visualizing Olympic medalists

Data-driven article is just a program!

  • We first see the resulting story
  • Readers can modify the parameters
  • Power users can verify the code

Article as a program #1

Automatically allowing readers
to modify parameters

DEMO: Choosing disciplines for a timeline

Article as a program #2

Type providers for simplifying
access to open government data

DEMO: Exploring World Bank data

Article as a program #3

Improving usability of languages
by learning from Excel

DEMO: Pivot type provider

Article as a program
is a powerful paradigm

The Gamma open-source library

  • JavaScript Web component anyone can use
  • Data source Service anyone can write
  • Sample Data sources and visualizations

Interested in collaboration!

  • Journalists interested in transparency
  • Exposing UK open government data
  • Automagic linking and cleaning of data

Summary

Make facts great again!



Using open government data

Using machine learning & data science

Using programming research




Tomas Petricek, tpetricek@turing.ac.uk
@tomaspetricek | thegamma.net | tomasp.net