Data Vis Dispatch, November 4: #30DayMapChallenge, hurricane Melissa, and speeches

Welcome back to the 217th 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 our favorites from the #30DayMapChallenge, hurricane Melissa, and speech analysis in politics.

It's November, and you know what that means: the #30DayMapChallenge is on again! The themes so far: points, lines, polygons, and my data.

‪Gaëlle Sutton: "Premier jour du #30DayMapChallenge - Point, Point par point, les violences contre les populations civiles, depuis 1989 [...]" [First day of the #30DayMapChallenge - Point by point, violence against civilians since 1989], November 1 (Bluesky)

Sacha Schlumpf: "Day 2 of the #30DayMapChallenge: Lines [...]," November 2 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7390720496654315520/"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>) — Sacha Schlumpf: "Day 2 of the #30DayMapChallenge: Lines [...]," November 2 (**LinkedIn**)

Eugene Alvin Villar: "Day 2: Lines, This map shows all the airports with direct flights from Singapore’s ChangiAirport (SIN) rendered on a custom logarithmic azimuthal map. Airports that are served by more airlines, like Jakarta (CGK) and Narita (NRT), are shown more prominently," November 2 (<a href="https://en.osm.town/@seav/115479983913228754"><strong>Mastodon</strong></a>) — Eugene Alvin Villar: "Day 2: Lines, This map shows all the airports with direct flights from Singapore’s ChangiAirport (SIN) rendered on a custom logarithmic azimuthal map. Airports that are served by more airlines, like Jakarta (CGK) and Narita (NRT), are shown more prominently," November 2 (**Mastodon**)

Helen McKenzie: "Day 3: polygons, UK proximity to coast, I've always wanted to figure this one out! Credit to Kurt Menke [who] inspired this," November 3 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7391138854860279810/"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>) — Helen McKenzie: "Day 3: polygons, UK proximity to coast, I've always wanted to figure this one out! Credit to Kurt Menke [who] inspired this," November 3 (**LinkedIn**)

ALSO Space: "Day 3: 'Polygons', Boundaries that no fence can mark, revealed only through data. From space, vegetation itself draws the lines that define our agricultural landscapes.This image shows agricultural plots surrounding the city of Brawley, United States, derived from satellite-based NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) time series [...]," November 3 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/also-space/posts/"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>) — ALSO Space: "Day 3: 'Polygons', Boundaries that no fence can mark, revealed only through data. From space, vegetation itself draws the lines that define our agricultural landscapes.This image shows agricultural plots surrounding the city of Brawley, United States, derived from satellite-based NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) time series [...]," November 3 (**LinkedIn**)

Kuruka: My Data, November 4

We’re not done with maps yet! Three interactive ones let residents explore their areas, through the lense of deprivation, cost of rent, and level of education.

The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2025/oct/30/how-deprived-is-your-area"><strong>How deprived is your area? Look up your postcode as new data for England released</strong></a>, October 30 — The Guardian: **How deprived is your area? Look up your postcode as new data for England released**, October 30

SWR: Wie wohnt Deutschland? [How do Germans live?], November 28

Tagesanzeiger: <a href="https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/bildung-schweiz-wo-die-meisten-akademiker-leben-105781019015"><strong>Volksschule, Lehre, Uni? So gebildet ist Ihre Nachbarschaft</strong></a> [<em>Elementary school, apprenticeship, university? This is how educated your neighborhood is</em>], November 2 — Tagesanzeiger: **Volksschule, Lehre, Uni? So gebildet ist Ihre Nachbarschaft** [*Elementary school, apprenticeship, university? This is how educated your neighborhood is*], November 2

Surprisingly, Hurricane Melissa triggered a number of interesting visualizations beyond maps. In addition to the storm's path, wind speed measurements were of particular interest.

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-jamaica-hurricane-melissa-damage/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>Satellite Images Reveal Scale of Melissa Destruction in Jamaica</strong></a>, October 31 — Bloomberg: **Satellite Images Reveal Scale of Melissa Destruction in Jamaica**, October 31

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/STORM-MELISSA/HUNTERS/klvyjeaykpg/"><strong>In the eye of the storm</strong></a>, October 31 — Reuters: **In the eye of the storm**, October 31

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/10/29/monster-melissa-intensification-pressure-speed/"><strong>The dangerous combination that made Melissa a monster hurricane</strong></a>, October 29 — The Washington Post: **The dangerous combination that made Melissa a monster hurricane**, October 29

Borders can significantly impact people's lives, affecting them financially, politically, and professionally. Examples include Dutch shoppers crossing into Germany, redrawn political districts, the flow of international talent, and military activity near the Venezuelan border.

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/from-border-to-basket"><strong>From border to basket</strong></a>, November 3 — The European Correspondent: **From border to basket**, November 3

SRF: <a href="https://www.srf.ch/news/international/usa/abstimmung-in-kalifornien-kampf-um-die-karte-zeichnen-sie-wie-ein-gerrymandering-profi"><strong>Kampf um die Karte: Zeichnen Sie wie ein Gerrymandering-Profi!</strong></a> [<em>Battle for the map: Draw like a gerrymandering pro!</em>], October 30 — SRF: **Kampf um die Karte: Zeichnen Sie wie ein Gerrymandering-Profi!** [*Battle for the map: Draw like a gerrymandering pro!*], October 30

John Burn-Murdoch: "Political hostility, high visa fees and (in the case of the UK) stagnant incomes are making the UK and US less attractive destinations for top international talent," October 31 (Bluesky, The Financial Times)

Reuters: How the US is preparing a military staging ground near Venezuela, November 2

The next cluster speaks about speech (and silence) in politics, how often the word democracy was used in the U.S. Congress, and how often questions were asked by members of constituencies in Hong Kong.

The Pudding: In pursuit of democracy, November 3

South China Morning Post: <a href="https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/news/hong-kong/legco2025/3330164/index.html"><strong>How did Hong Kong’s first ‘patriots-only’ Legislative Council perform?</strong></a>, October 31 — South China Morning Post: **How did Hong Kong’s first ‘patriots-only’ Legislative Council perform?**, October 31

It's good to take a step back every now and then and appreciate a well-designed table, even if its contents are the destructive power of weapons or the unemployment rate among academics.

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/15/nyregion/new-york-climate-flooding-solutions.html"><strong>Target Shooting Could Be Causing Brain Injuries. We Measured the Danger</strong></a>, November 3 — The New York Times: **Target Shooting Could Be Causing Brain Injuries. We Measured the Danger**, November 3

DIE ZEIT: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/arbeit/2025-10/arbeitsmarktstatistik-arbeitslosigkeit-fachkraeftemangel-branche-qualifizierung"><strong>In diesen Berufen ist die Jobsuche für Akademiker besonders schwer</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>In these fields, job search is especially hard for academics</em><strong>]</strong>, October 31 — DIE ZEIT: **In diesen Berufen ist die Jobsuche für Akademiker besonders schwer** [*In these fields, job search is especially hard for academics*], October 31

We're rounding off the week with a diverse mix: from corporate emission blind spots and resurrected "zombie" mortgages to the role of robots in manufacturing.

ProPublica: <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-air-pollution-pittsburgh-clairton-coke-works?utm_campaign=propublica-sprout&utm_content=1762128012&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky"><strong>The EPA Let Companies Estimate Their Own Pollution Levels. We Discovered Real Emissions Are Far Worse</strong></a>, October 30 — ProPublica: **The EPA Let Companies Estimate Their Own Pollution Levels. We Discovered Real Emissions Are Far Worse**, October 30

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-zombie-home-mortgage-debt-collection-investigation/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>No Cop on the Beat</strong></a>, October 30 — Bloomberg: **No Cop on the Beat**, October 30

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/business/mixed-picture-united-states-manufacturing-in-four-charts.html"><strong>U.S. Manufacturing’s Mixed Picture in 4 Charts</strong></a>, October 29 — The New York Times: **U.S. Manufacturing’s Mixed Picture in 4 Charts**, October 29

What else we found interesting

Not-Ship: <a href="https://www.not-ship.com/the-demons-are-on-show-at-the-department-of-labor-2/"><strong>The demons are on show at the US Department of Labor</strong></a>, October 30 — Not-Ship: **The demons are on show at the US Department of Labor**, October 30

Jer Thorp: "[...] Colors of birds extracted from Wikipedia descriptions," November 3 (Bluesky)

The Washington Post: We set out to find the real reason pickleball noise is so annoying, November 2 auditory story

Applications are open for…

A data projects editor at The Guardian
A professor for product and spatial practices at University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
A graphics reporter (deleted data project) at the Guardian
Multiple roles on the board of the Data Visualization Society

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Data Vis Dispatch, November 4: #30DayMapChallenge, hurricane Melissa, and speeches

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