The best way to learn data visualisation is by making them. Participants will be given an introduction to the field of data visualisation and are provided practical tips, guidelines and tools to turn statistics into visualisations that make sense and tell a story.

Participants will be also exposed to a considerable amount of data visualisation examples. In order to learn from mistakes made, bad examples are shown as well as good ones and participants will evaluate their own work and that of their peers.

All principles and concepts taught will be illustrated by real life examples.

Participants will have a computer at their disposal to experiment with the introduced tools, which are all free and online tools, make visualisations with them during the hands-on session and explore the interactive visualisations shown.

Course content:

1.Data visualisations: introduction

• Foundations of data visualisation.
• Basic rules of good data visualisation.
• Best practices in data visualisation design.

All best practices are illustrated with good and bad examples sourced from European statistical offices and media.

2.Crafting data visualisations

The process of creating data visualisations (story development, sketching, designing, editing and publishing) is explained and discussed. Storytelling and journalistic techniques are applied to the visualisation of statistical data and are illustrated with at least 10 examples drawn from media.

The influence of the target audience and the publication channel (press releases, social media, website, paper publications) on the data story and visualisation design are also discussed and illustrated with examples. Special attention goes to specific design aspects of static, responsive and interactive charts. At least 3 examples of published, multichannel data stories are discussed to illustrate story and design difference between channels.

In this session 5 tools to create data visualisations and data stories (static as well as interactive ones) are introduced and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. These tools are Datawrapper, Chartbuilder, RAWgraphs and Flourish. All four are online tools and free to use.

3.Hands-on session

Participants create their own visualisations, of their own data or of one of the provided statistical data sets. By applying the concepts and guidelines provided in the previous sessions. Participants are invited to use newly learned tools, but may also sketch out their ideas on paper or use tools they are already familiar with. The results are presented before class and peer-evaluated.

4.Online data publishing and animation

In the first part of this course, modern and innovative digital data publications are shown and discussed.

In the second part, animated gifs are discussed. Their effectiveness for communicating numbers and statistics is illustrated with at least 15 examples sourced from media and 2 techniques to produce gifs are explained (screen capture and combining image frames).

In the last part, video as a tool to disseminate statistics and tell data stories are discussed. Three examples of video data storytelling are shown and used as a basis for discussion.

• Basic principles of classifications
• International system of linked economic classifications and family of international economic classifications
• International and European economic classifications:-ISIC Rev. 4 and NACE Rev. 2 -CPC Version 2.1, CPA 2.1.
• Harmonised system, Combined Nomenclature, PRODCOM
• Functional/purpose classifications: COICOP and EU-COICOP, COPNI, COFOG and COPP
• Social classifications: ISCO, ESeG project, ISCED, ICATUS
• Geographical classifications: ISO, UN-codes, NUTS
• Interpretation and classification guidelines and rules
• Tools and sources: RAMON, UN classification registry and other classification databases.

The course content focuses on the principles, concepts andapplications of the main economic, social and geographical classifications that are applied in the ENP East Statistical Systems. Reference is also given to the international classifications from which the national classifications are derived from.

• Presentations on the access, the use, the challenges and the pros and the cons in the use of registers for producing statistics.
• Targeted group exercises on selected statistical areas.

• Concepts and definitions of BoP – discussions of problematic areas, with special focus on International Trade in Services (ITS) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
• Data sources and compilation methods. More in-depth discussions with emphasis on ITS and FDI.
• Quality issues. Presentation of national methods practice and approaches.
• Analysis of BoP.

• Relation between different basic concepts like population, statistical unit and classification
• Principles of economic classifications
• Conceptual aspects of the application of the economic classifications
• International system of linked economic classifications and family of international economic classifications
• Updates and revisions
• International and European economic classifications:- ISIC Rev. 4 and NACE Rev. 2- CPC Version 2.1, CPA 2.1.- PRODCOM
• Discussion of National versions of NACE Rev. 2, CPA 2.1. and PRODCOM (presented by the participants)
• Functional classifications (COICOP and EU-COICOP, COPNI,COFOG and COPP)
• Interpretation and classification guidelines and rules
• RAMON, UN classification registry and other classification databases

Any other business regarding classifications and their implementation.

The course content focuses on the principles, concepts and applications of the main activity and product classifications that are applied in the European Statistical System and which should guide the efforts of ENP-East countries especially of those which are EU candidates to adapt EU standards.

Reference is also given to the international classifications from which the National classifications are derived from.