Where the Animals Go
For thousands of years, tracking animals meant following footprints. Now satellites, drones, camera traps, cellphone networks, apps and accelerometers allow us to see the natural world like never before. Geographer James Cheshire and designer Oliver Uberti take you to the forefront of this animal-tracking revolution. Meet the scientists gathering wild data – from seals mapping the sea to baboons making decisions, from birds dodging tornadoes to jaguars taking selfies. Join the journeys of sharks, elephants, bumblebees, snowy owls and a wolf looking for love. Find an armchair, cancel your plans and go where the animals go. Buy now.
London: The Information Capital
When do police helicopters catch criminals? Which borough of London is the happiest? Is ‘czesc’ becoming a more common greeting than ‘salaam’? James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti could tell you, but they’d rather show you. By combining millions of data points with stunning design, they investigate how flights stack over Heathrow, who lives longest, and where Londoners love to Tweet. The result? One hundred portraits of an old city in a very new way. Buy now.
Population Lines Print
I have produced a map entitled “Population Lines”, which shows population density by latitude. The aim was to achieve a simple and fresh perspective on these well-known data. I have labelled a few key cities for orientation purposes but I’ve left off most of the conventional cartographical adornments. I am really pleased with the end result not least because it resembles Joy Division’s iconic Unknown Pleasures album cover, which in itself is a great example of data visualisation as art. Purchase here.
Research
My primary research focus is on the use of “big” and open datasets for the study of social science and I am involved in a number of projects that relate to the increased use of quantitative data in the social sciences. I publish in a range of journals on a variety of topics including the use of cycle hire schemes, the spatial analysis of surnames and new ways to visualise population data.
Commissions
If you are interested in image licensing, academic consultancy services, teaching and map production please get in touch. I specialise in data visualisation, geographic information systems and spatial data, R programming and teaching. Find out more.