This might not seem exciting, but this might be a basis for a different type of mapping for me. It is in Amcharts. I’m going to sit it here just to test it. I hope to build on it.
Category: Chart Test
I do not really know how to code. I am primarily a policy analyst who just loves data. I have been having trouble getting the demo version of a Divergent Stacked Bar Chart to render using the Amcharts plugin. My googling led me to this simple answer on StackOverflow regarding D3. I tried it with a D3 demo. It worked! First, try. I tried it with Amcharts. Once I got the file saved properly (I am missing something when combining all the pieces that I still have not yet figured out), it worked! So even if I do not know what is wrong with the Amcharts plugin for some of these types of charts, I can make it work. It takes longer and it is harder to debug, but if I want to do it I can.
Here is the code I used. Just change the URL to the URL of the code that you uploaded to your media section of the WordPress site.
`<iframe
style="border: 0px;"
src="www.yourwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/d3page.html"
scrolling="no"
width="100%"
height="500px">
</iframe>`Here is the graph. I used the 2019 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) data from 2019.
As I was working on trying to figure out how to make this graph render I read that is controversial and is not considered a good way to visualize data. But by that point, I was too far in. I wanted to see how it looked and judge for myself. I have not made any conclusions about the data or the visualization yet. I am just happy I figured out how to make the code work. This experience also means I will be able to try out D3 visualizations, which is a whole other rabbit hole. Enough explanation. I am going to test this webpage and take it live. The analysis is for another day.
Sources: Maryland State Department of Education, MCAP ELA and Math Performance Data.
In line with my interest in masking policies in public schools, I decided to map outbreak-associated cases in schools as reported by the Maryland Department of Health to check out the geolocation mapping feature of Datawrapper. As far as using the geolocation, it was super easy. I googled the address and pasted it into the correct box. I assume that the locations are generally accurate. It seems less precise than ArcView, but it seems to work well for when you are just trying to get a sense of the data. It did not that too long to enter the data for this number of locations. It would take a while if there were more locations. It would be much quicker if I had a spreadsheet with all the addresses of schools in the State pre-made and ready to go. I believe that there might be an official list of the public schools available. If I were to do this in the future I would explore using that existing spreadsheet.
I wish that I could add a choropleth map behind the location map to add another level of data details. I know it can be done with Arcview. But what you gain in usability you lose in features.
If you are wondering like I was about the outbreak at Quince Orchard when the school is not even open yet. The answer was found in this news article. Apparently, there was an outbreak in the football team which I assume has started practicing for the fall season.
Notes About the Data
These notes are copied from the Maryland Department of Health website.
Note: This dataset reflects public and non-public K-12 schools in Maryland that have COVID-19 outbreaks. Data are based on local health department reports to MDH, which may be revised if additional information becomes available. This list does not include child care facilities or institutes of higher education. Schools listed meet 1 or more of the following criteria:
Classroom/cohort outbreak definition: 1) At least two confirmed COVID-19 cases among students/teachers/staff within a 14-day period and who are epidemiologically linked, but not household contacts; or
School-wide outbreak definition:
2) Three or more classrooms or cohorts with cases from separate households that meet the classroom/cohort outbreak definition that occurs within 14 days; or
3) Five percent or more unrelated students/teachers/staff have confirmed COVID-19 within a 14 day period (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff).
Cases reported reflect the current total number of cases. Schools are removed from the list when health officials determine 14 days have passed with no new cases and no tests pending. Archival data is available through the COVID-19 open data catalogue. These data are updated weekly on Wednesdays during the 10 a.m. hour. MDH is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates as more data becomes available.
I pulled data at noon on August 25, 2021, to make the above map. As I discuss locations are approximate. I provided the information on whether a school is public or private. All errors are my own. This map is not official, it is primarily for the purpose of me exploring the visualization features and keeping track of what I learned.
AMCHARTS Waterfall Chart
Since I am having continued difficultly with getting the diverging bar chart and the waffle chart to render properly I decided to try the waterfall chart even though I was not sure what type of data I would put in it. Usually, I am driven by my need to see data visualized. But today I am driven by understanding the underpinnings of Amcharts better so I can figure out why I can not get my charts to render. At first, the waterfall chart would not display properly, but trying again fresh I got it to work. I am uncertain what I did differently.
The only data I could think to try to add to the waterfall chart was college costs with scholarship aid to result in a total estimated annual cost. The numbers I chose are loosely based on the University of Maryland, College Park campus net cost calculator, but the numbers are only roughly what is in the estimator. I am more interested in getting the chart to operate properly and posting it so I can see how it behaves when displayed on a phone. Unlike a traditional waterfall chart, the costs are “bad” at least from the student’s perspective and the scholarships are good so I was not sure what colors to use.
There are still a few variables I do not understand that are used to build this chart. I will have to read more into the documentation. Trying different charts and reading the documentation helps me better understand the workings of the program.
In the future, I think I could refine this chart with better data to illustrate the cost of college for different groups of students. It would be good to show that even with free tuition there are significant costs to attend college, in particular room and board.
Note: These numbers are made up for display purposes.
