![]() ![]() As a fan of the game Pandemic, it was great fun if a little scary to model how quickly a virus can spread (note to self: avoid major cities and airports). The ‘rose diagram’ is a masterpiece of clear communication, from a woman described as “a true pioneer in the graphical representation of statistics”.Įpidemic Planet was another favourite, an interactive allowing visitors to change certain parameters to see how fast a virus spreads to cause a pandemic, and the impact of any preventative measures. Nightingale’s grasp of statistics persuaded the British Government that cleaner hospitals would save lives, introducing a new standard of hospital care. ![]() The updated bar chart makes it easier to spot trends, but the ‘rose diagram’ is visually interesting, allowing readers to easily compare two years. Both sets of data demonstrate the effect of sanitary reforms upon hospital deaths during the Crimean War: fewer soliders died of preventable diseases as the war progressed.ĭiagram of the Causes of Mortality in the Army in the East, an example of Florence Nightingale’s polar rose diagram. ![]() Particularly striking was the juxtaposition of Florence Nightingale’s famous ‘rose diagram’ The Causes of Mortality in the Army in the East,in her original notebooks alongside an updated, animated version of the rose as well as a bar chart and icon diagram. Ship’s logs, Linnaeus’ taxonomic diagrams, NASA’s climate models and the NHS’ public health data all form part of this excellent exhibition. A small world of data opened up before my eyes.īroadly the exhibition covers the history of displaying data, through a variety of methods, within three topics: The Tree of Life, Public Health and Climate and Weather. But, peering round the corner, I discovered I was mistaken. Initially I felt a little stab of disappointment as the exhibition appeared to merely consist of a few graphics and notebooks. I approached the exhibition with anticipation, unsure what to expect: infographics interest me, being the data geek I am, but the British Library’s website hadn’t given me any hints as to what angle the exhibition would take. The British Library, Britain’s keeper of words holder of literature history packed to the rafters with overwhelming works of genius (and a rather lovely restaurant) is currently home to Beautiful Science. Surrounded by books in the British Library ![]()
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