Data Vis Dispatch, April 1: Earthquakes, daylight saving, and cherry trees

Welcome back to the 187th 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.

We’d love to hear from you!

📝 To make the Data Vis Dispatch even better, we've put together a quick 3-minute survey. In case you missed it, consider participating — we're eager to hear your opinions and feedback as a reader.

Click here for the survey →

Recurring topics this week include earthquakes, daylight saving time, and the cherry blossom bloom.

We're starting off on a tragic note, with emotional stories about Gaza's families and children:

NPR: <a href="https://apps.npr.org/gaza-building-israel-strike-casualties/"><strong>Gaza family lost 132 relatives in 1 Israeli strike</strong></a>, March 24 <span class="badge">Captivating story</span> — NPR: **Gaza family lost 132 relatives in 1 Israeli strike**, March 24 Captivating story

CNN: <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2025/03/middleeast/gaza-education-children-schools/index.html"><strong>Education in ruins: Gaza’s children on losing their right to learn</strong></a>, March 29 — CNN: **Education in ruins: Gaza’s children on losing their right to learn**, March 29

Another region gripped by crisis is Myanmar, where the ground shook with unusual strength last week. Here are visualizations about the connection of earthquake intensity, location, and depth.

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/28/world/asia/myanmar-earthquake-tracker.html"><strong>What Maps Show of the Myanmar Quake’s Destruction</strong></a>, March 31 — The New York Times: **What Maps Show of the Myanmar Quake’s Destruction**, March 31

Maps Mania: "Ever wondered how deep earthquakes occur beneath the Earth's surface? […]," March 27 (Bluesky)

On the sunny side, lots of places changed their clocks to summer time over the weekend. Some northern areas even experienced a partial solar eclipse:

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2025/03/29/how-politics-shapes-the-worlds-time-zones"><strong>How politics shapes the world’s time zones</strong></a>, March 29 — The Economist: **How politics shapes the world’s time zones**, March 29

Neue Zürcher Zeitung: <a href="https://www.nzz.ch/visuals/aktuell/weg-mit-der-zeitumstellung-und-dann-finden-sie-es-in-unserem-tool-heraus-ld.1877525"><strong><span>Weg mit der Zeitumstellung. Und dann? Finden Sie es in unserem Tool heraus</span></strong></a><strong><span> </span></strong><span>[</span><em>Get rid of the time change. And then? Find out with our tool</em><span>]</span>, March 29 — Neue Zürcher Zeitung: **Weg mit der Zeitumstellung. Und dann? Finden Sie es in unserem Tool heraus** [*Get rid of the time change. And then? Find out with our tool*], March 29

Diario Sur: <a href="https://diariosur.es/sociedad/donde-ver-eclipse-solar-espana-comprueba-20250328103002-ntrc.html"><strong>Eclipse solar en España: comprueba dónde y cómo verlo según dónde vivas</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Solar eclipse in Spain: find out where and how to see it depending on where you live</em>], March 29 — Diario Sur: **Eclipse solar en España: comprueba dónde y cómo verlo según dónde vivas** [*Solar eclipse in Spain: find out where and how to see it depending on where you live*], March 29

With spring around the corner, countries like Japan are approaching peak cherry bloom, although it's not all rosy:

The Asahi Shimbun: <a href="https://www.asahi.com/special/photo-map/japan-sakura-map/"><strong>全国サクラマップ</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Nationwide Sakura Map</em>], March 27 — The Asahi Shimbun: **全国サクラマップ** [*Nationwide Sakura Map*], March 27

Our World in Data: "Rising global temperatures can influence the timing of events […]," March 26 (Bluesky)

After Japan's cherry blossom front, here are some more interesting maps ranging from serious to sarcastic:

The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2025/mar/26/extreme-weather-risk-tool-fema-trump?utm_term=2025-03-28&utm_content=buffer158e8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer"><strong>Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it</strong></a>, March 26 — The Guardian: **Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it**, March 26

Der Spiegel / Let's Make A Map: <a href="https://www.letsmakeamap.com/blog/4lgjbfgqvf9ccky7lze9y16j7x0z87"><strong>Unusual election maps</strong></a>, March 30 — Der Spiegel / Let's Make A Map: **Unusual election maps**, March 30

Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2025-03/groenland-donald-trump-jd-vance-daenemark"><strong>Grönland ist gar nicht so "massive"</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Greenland is not that massive</em>], March 27 — Die Zeit: **Grönland ist gar nicht so "massive"** [*Greenland is not that massive*], March 27

A collection of different chart types showing political opinions:

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/28/world/europe/russia-influence-europe-putin.html"><strong>Russia’s Reach</strong></a>, March 28 — The New York Times: **Russia’s Reach**, March 28

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker"><strong>How popular is Donald Trump?</strong></a>, March 27 — The Economist: **How popular is Donald Trump?**, March 27

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/2025-canada-election"><strong>Who will lead Canada into the Trump era?</strong></a>, March 30 — The Economist: **Who will lead Canada into the Trump era?**, March 30

Resources and finances around the world, from rare earths to mother's day commercialism:

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/03/24/a-visual-guide-to-critical-materials-and-rare-earths"><strong>A visual guide to critical materials and rare earths</strong></a>, March 24 — The Economist: **A visual guide to critical materials and rare earths**, March 24

The Minnesota Star Tribune: <a href="https://www.startribune.com/new-mn-metro-sales-tax-677-million-spending/601245520"><strong>New sales taxes raised $677 million in 2024. Where did the money go?</strong></a>, March 30 — The Minnesota Star Tribune: **New sales taxes raised $677 million in 2024. Where did the money go?**, March 30

YouGov: "It's Mother's Day this Sunday, but 52% of Britons believe that Mother's Day is celebrated more because of pressure from commercial entities […]," March 28 (Bluesky)

A look at motherhood and fertility in sloping line charts, on both an individual and global level:

Maggie Appleton: <a href="https://maggieappleton.com/birth-probability"><strong>Statistically, When Will My Baby Be Born?</strong></a>, March 31 — Maggie Appleton: **Statistically, When Will My Baby Be Born?**, March 31

Data for India: "With over 1.3 billion people, India is the most populous country in the world. But since the 1990s, India's population growth has been gradually slowing down," March 28 (Bluesky)

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/30/business/economy/birthrate-politics-vance-musk.html"><strong>They Want More Babies. Now They Have Friends in the White House</strong></a>, March 30 — The New York Times: **They Want More Babies. Now They Have Friends in the White House**, March 30

Checking in on our environment, with visualizations making you think that one reason for lower birth rates is fear for future generations:

CarbonBrief: <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/debriefed-28-march-2025-south-koreas-record-breaking-wildfires-arctic-sea-ice-hits-record-low-peak-butterfly-biodiversity-imperilled/?utm_content=bufferdf9f6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer"><strong>South Korea’s record-breaking wildfires; Arctic sea ice hits record-low peak; Butterfly biodiversity imperilled</strong></a>, March 28 — CarbonBrief: **South Korea’s record-breaking wildfires; Arctic sea ice hits record-low peak; Butterfly biodiversity imperilled**, March 28

Maps.com: Which Parts of Earth Are Warming the Fastest?, March 24

Tagesanzeiger: <a href="https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/plastikmuell-im-ozean-der-mann-der-die-weltmeere-retten-will-875782899199"><strong>Der Mann, der die Weltmeere retten will</strong></a> [<em>Chart title:</em> <em>Amount of plastic pieces in the ocean</em>], March 28 <span class="badge">Long read, lots of visuals</span> — Tagesanzeiger: **Der Mann, der die Weltmeere retten will** [*Chart title:* *Amount of plastic pieces in the ocean*], March 28 Long read, lots of visuals

Der Spiegel: <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/gletscher-diese-eisriesen-zerrinnen-a-5c889858-7313-4254-9f4a-dc0d3ab8587a?giftToken=c5ed96d4-e823-44c7-b15e-fc4d039cbbe4"><strong>Die Eisriesen zerrinnen</strong></a> [<em>The ice giants are melting</em>], March 27 — Der Spiegel: **Die Eisriesen zerrinnen** [*The ice giants are melting*], March 27

And to conclude this week, beautiful projects about historic and current mediums of artistic expression and cultural preservation, including the correct way to pronounce GIF:

Nightingale: <a href="https://nightingaledvs.com/paperbase-a-window-into-photographic-paper-history/"><strong>Paperbase: A Window into Photographic Paper History</strong></a>, March 26 <span class="badge">Complex project</span> — Nightingale: **Paperbase: A Window into Photographic Paper History**, March 26 Complex project

The Pudding: <a href="https://pudding.cool/2025/04/music-dna/"><strong>music dna legacies</strong></a>, March 31 — The Pudding: **music dna legacies**, March 31

Anthropology News: <a href="https://www.anthropology-news.org/articles/bits-and-bytes-dont-leave-bones/"><strong>Bits and Bytes Don’t Leave Bones</strong></a>, March 27 — Anthropology News: **Bits and Bytes Don’t Leave Bones**, March 27

PerThirtySix: <a href="https://perthirtysix.com/communal-plot-daily-poll"><strong>The Communal Plot, Pronounciation of GIF vs. Immersion In Internet Culture</strong></a>, March 31 — PerThirtySix: **The Communal Plot, Pronounciation of GIF vs. Immersion In Internet Culture**, March 31

What else we found interesting

Design Reviewed: "A few years back, the outstanding site 50 Watts had a collection of vintage Polish album cover designs […]," March 31 (Bluesky)

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2025/sneeze-reflex-loud-sound/?itid=hp-mv-top-stories_top-table-main_p001_f010"><strong>Sneeze smarter, not louder: The science of a quieter sneeze</strong></a>, March 24 — The Washington Post: **Sneeze smarter, not louder: The science of a quieter sneeze**, March 24

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/26/business/ai-smarter-human-intelligence-puzzle.html"><strong>Are You Smarter Than A.I.?</strong></a>, March 26 — The New York Times: **Are You Smarter Than A.I.?**, March 26

Applications are open for…

A computational journalist at ProPublica
A graphics assignment editor at The Washington Post

Help us make this dispatch better! We’d love to hear which newsletters, blogs, or social media accounts we need to follow to learn about interesting projects, especially from less-covered parts of the world (Asia, South America, Africa). Write us at hello@datawrapper.de or leave a comment below. Want the Dispatch in your inbox every Tuesday? Sign up for our Blog Update newsletter!

Data Vis Dispatch, April 1: Earthquakes, daylight saving, and cherry trees

We’d love to hear from you!

What else we found interesting

Newsletter

Related Posts

All Blog Categories

We’d love to hear from you!

What else we found interesting

Newsletter

Related Posts

Data Vis Dispatch, October 28: Cats, deals, and uncertainty

Data Vis Dispatch, October 21: Jewelry heist, bird migration, and the music industry

Data Vis Dispatch, October 14: Addiction, animals, and canopies

All Blog Categories