Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere

Data in the wild #18: The Hidden Data Behind Football

Obinna Iwuji — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:41:46 +0000

The World Cup is over!! And wow…

I know people have had mixed feelings about the tournament, but one thing no one can deny is that it has been full of memorable moments. From Cabo Verde coming out of nowhere and stealing everyone’s hearts, to England and France battling it out for bronze, and of course, the final itself. It’s been one incredible tournament.

But while the players have been putting their hearts on the line, another battle has been taking place in the background: the battle between football fans and technology.

I don’t know how many people I’ve heard say that the thing they dislike most about the modern game is VAR and all the technology now involved in football. I mean, in one match, there were even arguments about whether the ball had hit a drone before coming back down! Whether you love it or hate it, technology is now deeply woven into the game.

And where there are drones, AI and controversy… There must be data.

Data In The Wild

Welcome back to another edition of Data in the Wild, the series where we investigate how data is formed, collected and used to influence the world around us. Today, we’re going to explore three ways data and technology are shaping modern football: the ball, the game and the culture.

Let’s do it.

Data & Technology in Football Isn’t New

This may seem obvious to some, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. As much as it feels like technology in football is a recent phenomenon, it’s actually been evolving for decades.

For most of football’s history, the game relied almost entirely on human judgment. Referees made decisions based on what they saw, coaches relied on memory and handwritten notes, and fans debated controversial moments for years because there simply wasn’t a way to know for certain what had happened.

Technology slowly began changing that.

During the 1980s, video analysis gave coaches the ability to replay matches repeatedly, transforming how teams prepared, learned and developed tactics. Then, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, sports science became increasingly important. Heart rate monitors, GPS trackers and performance data helped clubs understand how hard players were working, reduce injuries and tailor training to individual athletes.

But the biggest shift came during the last decade.

Rather than simply helping players perform better, technology began helping officials make decisions. Goal-line technology, introduced at the highest level in 2012, could instantly determine whether the whole ball had crossed the line. A few years later came Video Assistant Referees (VAR), giving officials access to multiple camera angles to review game-changing incidents.

As much as people claim technology is taking the thrill out of football, I have to admit that if a “Hand of God” moment happened in today’s game and nobody could prove what really happened, the corruption allegations would probably be on another level.

So, let’s get into the tech.

The Ball: The Smartest Thing on the Pitch

Let’s start with something I genuinely didn’t know until a few weeks ago.

Believe it or not, one of the smartest things on the pitch isn’t actually one of the twenty-two players or even the coaches standing on the sidelines.

It’s the football.

Inside the official match ball is something called an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and it’s actually something you’ve encountered before.

In fact, if you’re reading this on your phone, you’re probably holding one right now.

Think about what your phone can do. It knows when you rotate it, which is why the screen flips between portrait and landscape. It knows when you’ve dropped it (hopefully not too many times), and it can even count your steps while you’re walking around.

The football works using a very similar idea.

Instead of measuring your movement, however, it spends the entire match measuring its own.

Inside the ball are tiny motion sensors that monitor changes in movement around 500 times every second. Every kick, every header, every deflection and every tiny touch changes the way the ball moves. Those changes are detected almost instantly, allowing the system to identify the exact moment the ball has been played.

At first, I didn’t think that sounded particularly impressive.

I mean… surely we can already see when someone kicks a football?

Well… yes and no.

Imagine trying to work out the exact moment someone kicks the ball using only television footage. Most broadcast cameras record around 50 images every second, which sounds like a lot until you compare it to the sensor inside the football. While the camera captures around 50 snapshots during a second of play, the ball is quietly collecting around 500 measurements over that same period.

That means the sensor can provide a much more precise timestamp for when the ball was actually touched. We’re talking about differences measured in milliseconds, but in football, a few milliseconds can be the difference between a player being onside or offside.

Of course, the football can only tell us when it was touched.

It can’t tell us who touched it.

For that, the stadium needs another pair of eyes entirely.

The Game: The Stadium Has Eyes

So, if the football can tell us when it was touched, how does the system know who touched it?

That’s where the stadium comes in.

Hidden high above the pitch is a network of dedicated tracking cameras whose only job is to watch the game. They’re not there to create the television broadcast or capture dramatic slow-motion replays. They’re there to measure movement.

Imagine watching a football match through sixteen pairs of eyes that never blink, never get distracted and can remember exactly where every player has been for the last ninety minutes.

That’s essentially what these cameras do.

They continuously track the players and the ball, collecting positional information around fifty times every second. Rather than simply recognising that “there’s a footballer over there”, the system tracks different parts of each player’s body using computer vision, creating a constantly updating digital representation of the match.

And this is what powers semi-automated offside.

If you’ve ever watched a VAR offside check, you’ve probably seen those 3D animations with players frozen in place and coloured lines appearing across the pitch. For the longest time, I assumed the computer was simply drawing lines on top of the television footage.

It turns out it’s much cleverer than that.

To decide whether a player is offside, the system needs to answer two questions:

Where was everybody?

And…

Exactly when was the ball played?

The cameras answer the first question by tracking the positions of the players.

The sensor inside the ball answers the second by detecting the exact moment the pass was made.

Artificial intelligence then combines those two streams of information, creating an automated offside alert for the video officials. They review the recommendation before passing the final decision back to the referee on the pitch.

That’s why FIFA calls it semi-automated offside rather than fully automated. The technology speeds up the process, but a human is still responsible for making the final decision.

Whether you love VAR or absolutely cannot stand it, I have to admit… that’s a pretty incredible piece of engineering.

The Culture: Commentary and Stats Merchants

Of course, what we’ve talked about today is only a small part of the story.

Once I understood how the technology worked, I suddenly looked at football statistics very differently. It made me realise that all the numbers commentators casually throw around during a match aren’t just random facts they’re built on carefully collected measurements, sound methodologies and statistical analysis.

The statistics we see on television are really just the final product.

Passing maps are built from tracking where the ball has travelled around the pitch. Shot maps reveal where players tend to shoot from and which areas are most dangerous. Heat maps show where players spend most of their time during a match. Possession statistics, sprint speeds and distance covered all begin with thousands of tiny measurements collected throughout the game.

Behind the scenes, clubs take this even further. Coaches, analysts and sports scientists use performance data to monitor player workload, fatigue, recovery and overall well-being, helping players stay fit and perform at their best throughout a long season.

Perhaps what fascinated me most, though, wasn’t the technology itself.

It was how quickly football culture has embraced data.

During the World Cup final, my WhatsApp chats were full of screenshots of passing networks, expected goals charts, shot maps and player comparisons. It honestly threw me off.

People often say data is difficult to understand, but I think context makes all the difference. Put a chart in a report and some people switch off. Put that same chart next to a football match and suddenly millions of people are analysing it, debating it and sharing it with their friends.

Maybe data isn’t as inaccessible as we sometimes think.

Maybe people just need a story they already care about.

Looking at Football Differently

Similar to many other industries and sectors, we need to be honest: technology, AI and all of the innovations we’ve talked about today aren’t going to decrease. They’re only going to become even more integrated into our lives and, undoubtedly, into football.

Learning about the current uses of these technologies alone has blown my mind, so I can’t wait to see what new innovations emerge over the next few years.

One of my favourite things about writing this series is that it completely changes how I look at everyday things.

I can’t turn on my phone’s GPS without thinking about satellites.

I can’t walk through London without wondering how much location data is quietly being created around me.

And now…

I don’t think I’ll ever watch football in quite the same way again.

The next time I hear a commentator mention a player’s sprint speed or see an offside graphic appear on my screen, I’ll know there’s an invisible network of cameras, sensors and algorithms working behind the scenes to make that information possible.

So, if you’re interested in learning more about how technology is being used to shape the way we experience the world around us, I look forward to seeing you next time as we uncover more data…

…in the wild.

Data In The Wild

Data in the wild #17: Smart motorways

Smart motorways are quietly shaping how we drive. That sudden drop from 70 to 50? It’s not random. Sensors and systems are predicting traffic before it happens, slowing everyone down to prevent jams. It’s data controlling the road in real time… the question is, do we actually trust it?

April 9, 2026

Data In The Wild

Data in the wild #16: Can You Share Your Location

In this edition of Data in the Wild, I explore what it really means to “share your location.” From GPS and Wi-Fi to ship tracking and TfL demand modelling, this piece unpacks how geolocation works, where it shows up in everyday life, and what we can build when movement becomes data.

February 24, 2026

Data In The Wild

Data in the wild #15: The Data Behind Fireworks

Fireworks don’t just light up the sky they’re shaped by data. From wind modelling to sound limits, invisible thresholds decide what counts as “safe fun.” This Data in the Wild piece explores how decibels, maths, and regulation quietly shape one of our most beloved celebrations.

January 8, 2026

The post Data in the wild #18: The Hidden Data Behind Football appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.

Explore Explain S6E9 – The Final Episode!

Andy Kirk — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:53:18 +0000

Welcome to episode 9 of season 6 of Explore Explain, a long-form video and podcast series all about data visualisation design. Or, at least, it was…

This isn’t just the final episode of the season, it is the final episode of the show! I will post more about my reasons for this in due course, but let me thank right here every guest, listener and/or viewer for engaging with the 54 episodes we’ve pulled together, featuring 80 guests across six seasons and over the past six years.

And so, for this grand finale, I indulge in a bit of self-promotion by spending time exploring and explaining the creative process behind my new project: ‘The Seinfeld Chronicle: Digital Edition’, a rebooted and reimagined version of this long-term analytical investigation I’ve been doing about the popular US sitcom. To serve as a quick intro, you can read a bit more about the project by visiting the launch post.

The conversation was recorded as a live webinar episode featuring myself, as host and as a guest, alongside my multi-talented collaborators including data visualization designer and developer, Anne-Marie Dufour, as well as sonification superstars Miriam Quick and Duncan Geere (Loud Numbers). (Sadly, due to laryngitis, you won’t be able to hear Miriam, but you’ll certainly hear about her contributions to this project!).

As well as listening to this show, you can watch the video of this conversation. Head over to Youtube and visit the Explore Explain channel.

Video Conversation

You can watch this episode using the embedded player below or over on the dedicated Explore Explain Youtube channel, where you’ll find all the other video-based episodes and curated playlists.

Audio Conversation

To listen directly, visit this link or use the embedded podcast player below. The audio podcast is published across all common platforms (such as Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music etc.), so you will find this series listed in their respective directories by searching for ‘Explore Explain’ or by manually entering – or copying/pasting – this url to your subscriptions – https://feed.pod.co/exploreexplain.

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New Project: ‘The Seinfeld Chronicles: Digital Edition’

Andy Kirk — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:17:30 +0000

I’m delighted to finally launch my latest and largest project to date. ‘The Seinfeld Chronicles: Digital Edition‘ is a rebooted digital version of my long-term visual investigation of the patterns of laughter, the interactions of characters, and the use of locations across every episode of ‘Seinfeld’.

This passion project/side quest originated in late 2016 with a curiosity about the possibilities of analysing the qualitative and subjective nature of situation comedy. Roll forward four years, in 2020 I produced a limited-edition self-printed book compiling all my analysis, with 176 copies (matching the number of written episodes of the show) made available on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis. These copies were snapped up within 2 weeks, far quicker than I could have ever imagined, and with such generosity: After covering the shipping costs, the net proceeds were donated to two charities, with Samaritans and Rainforest Trust each receiving £2500+.

With the work winning a coveted Malofiej-silver-medal, and with no desire to compromise the exclusivity of the product people had paid to obtain through a further print run, the project felt like it was done…

…except, I always had a nagging sense that it hadn’t quite fulfilled its ‘format’ potential having not been developed as a digital product for the web and therefore making it more widely accessible to different audiences.

That’s where my approaching of the mega-talented data visualization designer and developer, Anne-Marie Dufour -and subsequent calling on the help of sonification superstars, Miriam Quick and Duncan Geere (from Loud Numbers) – has now led to a fresh, more ambitious digital reboot for this highly unnecessary data exploration.

Visit 'The Seinfeld Chronicles: Digital Edition'

The work is the consequence of a long term fascination with the creative process behind sitcoms and specifically Seinfeld. It was the ‘musicality’ of the show that I found particularly intriguing, orchestrated by the comedic talents of co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David.

Like music, situation comedy has rhythm and it has texture: rhythm is shaped by a show’s timing, its scene-structures, and its pacing; textures are created by the ‘instruments’ of characters and their locations, which amalgamate to create the situations from which the comedy manifests.

In this digital version we fully explore every possible avenue and level of visual analysis, from the macro trends of character, location and laughter patterns, right down to specific moments in each episode.

PROLOGUE
The project opens with my personal history with the show and the timeline of it being broadcast in different places on TV. We introduce the show, explaining its unique qualities, and also visually establishing the symbolic mapping system of characters and locations. We then move on to explain the motivating curiosity for this work – as well its print-version predecessor.

THE SHOW
After the title page we introduce the shape, size and dimensions of the show with a timeline plotting ‘the when’ of the 180 broadcast episodes across 9 seasons. This sets the context for the scale of the data gathering that took place, the methodology behind which – especially in relation to the subjectivity of laughter – is then explained and illustrated with a worked-up scene.

EPISODE CATALOGUE
Having unveiled the components of the episode compositions, the centre-piece of the work, visitors can at this point explore a browsable gallery of all episode compositions with each offering a sonified representation of every scene, using instruments and sounds synonymous with the show to form unique jazz vignettes.

LEAD CHARACTERS
Focusing on the four main characters, we visually explore their patterns of screen time and laughter-causing across all episodes and seasons, with summary trends and observations of their potential peak performances.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Switching to all the other non-lead character groups, we again visually explore their patterns of screen time and laughter-causing across all episodes and seasons, with summary trends in the context of the leads.

LOCATIONS
After characters, its the locations we examine to see their trends and patterns of usage as the setting of scenes through all the episodes.

COMBINATIONS AND FINDINGS
Bringing it all together, here you’ll find an interactive tool to find out how often and when were different combinations of lead characters, supporting characters, and locations used across every episode. Supplementing this are some final written summary reflections offering general insights or notable factoids.

CREDITS & METHODOLOGY
Wrapping up the work is an appendix with remaining expanded details about aspects of the data gathering methodology, including established counting rules, assumptions made, and acknowledgements of accuracy. There are also final details of the sources of any video, audio, or image files used.

Live webinar: The final ever 'Explore Explain' episode

Want to know more about the behind-the-scenes development and creative process?

To coincide with the launch of this project, on Monday 29th June at 1pm UTC, I will host the final ever episode of my ‘Explore Explain‘ video and podcast series.

This will take the form of a live webinar, open to anyone to register to attend, and will be a detailed conversation between me and the team behind the work as we talk through and show our creative journey behind this long-term development.

Due to attendee limits I’ve set up a simple pre-registration using the following Eventbrite page where you can sign up for free. Once you do register you will be sent a confirmation by Eventbrite including a link to view tickets. 30 minutes before the event starts the webinar link will be revealed to enable you to join the session which will open at 1pm (UTC) and commence around 5 mins later. The conversation will last around 1 hour, with scope for audience Q&A.

I hope some of you can join us for this live session and participate in this final episode!

The post New Project: ‘The Seinfeld Chronicles: Digital Edition’ appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.

The May 2026 newsletter is now open to all

Andy Kirk — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:32:44 +0000

My May newsletter, issue number 24 that was sent out to subscribers a couple of weeks ago, is now open for all to read.

You can also access this issue, as well as visit the full catalogue of previous issues, via the Newsletter page.

If you’re not already a subscriber, its time to change that! To receive this free monthly newsletter straight into your inbox you can sign up here or visit the Newsletter page to get a bit more background information and instructions.

Thank you as always to everyone who subscribes, reads, shares, visits and responds to this newsletter. But above all thank you to all the people doing ace work that I’m able to curate and share through these issues.

The post The May 2026 newsletter is now open to all appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.

Explore Explain Final Episode: Live Webinar!

Andy Kirk — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:30:07 +0000

On Monday 29th June I will be hosting and recording a live episode of my ‘Explore Explain‘ video and podcast series. This will be the final episode of season 6. It will also be the final episode ever!

After six seasons across six years, comprising (what will be) 54 episodes and featuring 80 guests, I’ve decided to leave the show before the show leaves me. I’ll write more about the rationale behind this decision and reflections of the brilliant experiences I’ve had doing it in due course.

For this finale I will be indulging in a bit of self-promotion by spending time exploring and explaining the creative process behind my new project: the imminently-launching ‘Seinfeld Chronicle: Digital Edition’.

This is a refreshed and enhanced visual investigation looking at the patterns of laughs, the interactions of characters, and the use of locations – or as I term it an exploration of ‘the rhythm and texture’ – across every episode of Seinfeld. What was previously published as a limited-edition print edition, with the help of some of the best talents in the field, we’ve now created a new version that fully exploits the digital possibilities of visually – and sonically – experiencing data. The project will be publicly launched the week before the webinar.

This episode will be delivered as a Zoom webinar running for 75 minutes based around a ~60 minutes conversation between the team behind the work followed by ~15 minutes of Q&A time with the live audience.

I will be hosting the session, asking questions as well as sharing my own experiences on the project. Joining me on the episode will be multi-talented data visualization designer and developer, Anne-Marie Dufour, alongside sonification superstars Miriam Quick and Duncan Geere (Loud Numbers).

The webinar will be open to join from 2pm (BST) with the conversation commencing about 5 minutes later, to give time for all the panellists to get in place as well as the audience to join. As there are audience-size limits, if you would like to attend please visit this Eventbrite page to register for free. The session will be recorded and then published as an audio and video episode.

When you sign up you will be sent a confirmation by Eventbrite including a link to view tickets. 30 minutes before the event starts this will reveal the webinar link to join the session.

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New Course: ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation’ (London, September 2026)

Andy Kirk — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:02:57 +0000

I’m happy to announce details of a new public training course: A two-day classroom-based ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation‘ will take place in London on 8-9 September 2026.

This is an essential non-technical course for anyone seeking to develop a sophisticated capability in the modern craft of data visualisation.

You can read more information about my training courses, which have been running since November 2011. Further public training events, virtual and classroom, will be arranged in response to demand and schedule availability. If your organisation would be interested in exploring options to arrange a training privately for your colleagues, just get in touch.

What is this training about?

This Masterclass training course provides attendees with a sophisticated understanding of how to communicate data visually in the most impactive way. Delivered over two full-day sessions this training de-constructs this complex, multi-disciplinary craft into an organised sequence of topics towards giving attendees a thorough appreciation of how to navigate through the many creative, editorial, and analytical options that exist.

In contrast to the shorter ‘Fundamentals of Data Visualisation’ training, also offered by Andy Kirk, this course has more breadth and more detail, including additional topics not covered in the shorter course and with more time to allow for opportunities to practice the learning on exercise activities.

Who is this training for?

This training is relevant to anyone who has a role in or undertakes duties involving the analysis, presentation, and communication of data. Whether your work is primarily concerned with building dashboards, creating infographics, constructing data stories, or producing charts for reports, its all part of the same world. This popular course will enlighten you with new ideas and approaches for visualising data in the most contextually-reasoned way.

Please note this is not technical training: you will not receive teaching in the form of instruction based tutorials for how to make charts in specific tools. However, you will learn more about the profile of common tools that are being used in the field today, about the opportunities where collaborating with AI capabilities can be potentially useful, and you will be pointed towards many useful online references to help you develop your technical skills to apply what you learn in the course.

For more information about the course contents and objectives visit the training page where you will also find a selection of testimonials from previous attendees.

Who is this training delivered by?

Andy Kirk is an independent data visualisation expert from the UK and now based in Ireland. He is one of the most in-demand, experienced, and prolific educators in the field, having delivered nearly 450 public and private training courses since becoming a freelance professional in 2010. Visit Andy’s website, visualisingdata.com, to learn more about his training experiences as well as his other work in visualisation design, consultancy, lecturing, and book authoring.

Where will this training be held?

Hot/cold drinks and snack refreshments will be available throughout the day and an optional lunch will also be provided. The venue is also closely located to many cafes and sandwich shop options.

Timings

On both days this training commences at 9:30am and finishes around 4:30pm. Arrival will be open from 9am onwards. There will be breaks during all morning and afternoon sessions, and a lunch break each day of around 60 minutes.

Technology

Attendees are requested to bring a laptop to use as a workspace for the session. The event is not technical in nature but this will enable you to access the course materials and exercise files referred to during the sessions. You will not require any specialist software beyond Excel/Sheets, a pdf reader, and a browser. Across a day you should expect to need around 3 hours of charge. Power access will be provided for charging devices.

The online whiteboard platform, Miro, will be used extensively during the course to collate and share exercise activities. More details will be provided in the class. Other than using a browser and a pdf reader, no additional tools will be necessary to have access to or skills with for this non-technical course.

Training materials will be issued digitally, including the teaching slides, exercise files and further useful resources, and delegates will receive instructions and information about this prior to the course resources. OneDrive, as a first preference, or WeTransfer, as an alternative, will be the typical methods used for material sharing.

Registration

Registration can be made online using the built-in Eventbrite payment processing system. Click on ‘Get Tickets’, choose the relevant ticket option, and then follow the instructions to complete the delegate registration and payment details.

If you would prefer to register offline and arrange payment via an invoice process for electronic transfer just email andy@visualisingdata.com to reserve your place and progress your registration.

Pricing: Fees, VAT charges, and Discounts!

The standard registration pricing for this course is £700+VAT per person. The total cost will depend on any additional processing fees, your VAT exemption status, and the application of potential discounts.

VAT charges are relevant to the following types of buyer:

All attendees registering from the UK will pay an additional 20% VAT charge.
Any attendee registering from an EU organisation which is not VAT registered in their local region will face the additional 20% VAT charge.

VAT charges are exempt for the following types of buyer:

Any attendee registering from an EU organisations which are VAT registered are exempt from these charges. You should select ‘VAT exempt’ ticket types and enter your organisation’s VAT details in the order form to formalise this exemption.
All attendees registering who are based in any other world region outside of the UK and the EU (eg. US, India, Australia) are exempt from VAT charges and should select the ‘VAT exempt’ ticket types accordingly.

There are FOUR ways of joining this course at a reduced price…

(1) Subscribers to Andy Kirk’s Visualising Data Newsletter will find a promo code for a 10% discount mentioned in each monthly issue.

(2) Do you own a copy of the ‘Data Visualisation: A Handbook for Data Driven Design‘ book (any edition)? If you do there is a 10% discount available when using the promo code which is the full name of the final chart type in the gallery of methods presented in the book’s sixth chapter. The same final ‘chart’ is listed is all editions of the book. Removing the space, the code should be 7 characters in length.

To apply this discount, when you get to the training registration checkout, in the ‘Promo code’ box enter the code (not case sensitive) and this will reduce the price by 10%.

(3) Eventbrite charges a non-refundable processing fee of ~8% which applies to all registration types. To avoid incurring these additional charges you may instead choose to register offline and arrange payment via an invoice process for electronic transfer. If you/your organisation prefer this method please just email andy@visualisingdata.com to reserve your place and progress your registration.

(4) For some people interested in attending such training, finances can be a barrier. Whether it is due to the relative cost of living in your region or specific personal circumstances, it is entirely appreciated that financial obstacles will exist for some. As a commitment to widening access to these training courses, at least 2 places will be made available on this course, no questions asked, at a discounted ‘pay what you can afford’ basis.

If you would benefit from and feel you would qualify to take one of these available places please email andy@visualisingdata.com to make the necessary arrangements for your registration (ie. this may entail being issued with a discount code to apply to a standard registration procedure).

Cancellations and changes policy

Full refunds (less the non-refundable Eventbrite processing fees ~8%) are offered for any delegate cancellations made up to 7 days before the course start date. Please email andy@visualisingdata.com if this situation arises.

Cancellations made during the 7 days prior to the course starting will be offered a 50% refund (less processing fees), as it becomes much harder to fill a space vacated with such short notice.

Registrations can be switched to a different attendee. Please email andy@visualisingdata.com if this situation arises.

In the rare event the course itself has to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances all attendees will be offered a choice of a full refund (excluding processing fees) OR the opportunity to attend an alternative training course in the future. Refunds will be limited to registration costs alone, Visualising Data Ltd is not liable for any other costs incurred.

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New Course: ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation’ (London, July 2026)

Andy Kirk — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:35 +0000

I’m very happy to announce details of a new public training course: A two-day classroom-based ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation‘ will take place in London on 7-8 July 2026.

This is an essential non-technical course for anyone seeking to develop a sophisticated capability in the modern craft of data visualisation.

What is this training about?

Who is this training for?

For more information about the course contents and objectives visit the training page where you will also find a selection of testimonials from previous attendees.

Who is this training delivered by?

Where will this training be held?

This course will be held at Bersey Warehouse, a premise on the London campus of Canva, located at 293 Old Street on the corner with Coronet Street in the Hoxton area (postcode: EC1V 9LA). This is about 6-8 minutes walk from Old Street underground station. Specific arrival instructions will be provided to all attendees priort to the course. Please note lunch is NOT provided but there hot/cold drinks and snack refreshments will be available throughout the day. The venue is closely located to many cafes and sandwich shop options.

Timings

Technology

Registration

If you would prefer to register offline and arrange payment via an invoice process for electronic transfer just email andy@visualisingdata.com to reserve your place and progress your registration.

Pricing: Fees, VAT charges, and Discounts!

VAT charges are relevant to the following types of buyer:

All attendees registering from the UK will pay an additional 20% VAT charge.
Any attendee registering from an EU organisation which is not VAT registered in their local region will face the additional 20% VAT charge.

VAT charges are exempt for the following types of buyer:

Any attendee registering from an EU organisations which are VAT registered are exempt from these charges. You should select ‘VAT exempt’ ticket types and enter your organisation’s VAT details in the order form to formalise this exemption.
All attendees registering who are based in any other world region outside of the UK and the EU (eg. US, India, Australia) are exempt from VAT charges and should select the ‘VAT exempt’ ticket types accordingly.

There are FOUR ways of joining this course at a reduced price…

(1) Subscribers to Andy Kirk’s Visualising Data Newsletter will find a promo code for a 10% discount mentioned in each monthly issue.

To apply this discount, when you get to the training registration checkout, in the ‘Promo code’ box enter the code (not case sensitive) and this will reduce the price by 10%.

Cancellations and changes policy

Cancellations made during the 7 days prior to the course starting will be offered a 50% refund (less processing fees), as it becomes much harder to fill a space vacated with such short notice.

Registrations can be switched to a different attendee. Please email andy@visualisingdata.com if this situation arises.

The post New Course: ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation’ (London, July 2026) appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.

The March 2026 newsletter is now open to all

Andy Kirk — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:53:13 +0000

My March newsletter, issue number 23 that was sent out to subscribers a couple of weeks ago, is now open for all to read.

You can also access this issue, as well as visit the full catalogue of previous issues, via the Newsletter page.

The post The March 2026 newsletter is now open to all appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.

Data in the wild #17: Smart motorways

Obinna Iwuji — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:46:26 +0000

England’s Cure To Crazy Driving…Kinda

Okay, so I recently did a driver’s safety course for speeding.
Wait, wait, wait… it wasn’t that bad.

I was going down a hill on a 30, and at the bottom it switched to a 20. I’d never driven on that road before, and it took me a second to adjust. Personally? I think it was fine. But hey… the DVSA does indeed have bills to pay.

Anyway, I’m sitting there on the course, slightly humbled, slightly annoyed… and I learn something I had genuinely never heard before.

Apparently… the motorway is watching you.

Not in a conspiratorial way.
In a data way.

There’s something called a smart motorway. And once you see it, you realise it’s everywhere in the UK. It’s the reason you’ll be cruising at 70… and suddenly the signs tell you to go 50… then 40… and you’re sitting there thinking:

“There’s literally nothing here… why am I slowing down?”

So let’s talk about what’s actually going on.

Data In The Wild

Welcome back to another edition of Data in the Wild the series where we investigate how data is quietly collected, processed, and used to shape the world around us.

Today’s conversation:
The motorway that thinks ahead of you.

What Is A Smart Motorway??

At it’s simplisest, a smart motorway is just a motorway that uses real-time data to manage traffic.

English roads, for all you non-UK drivers are pretty small. They were originally built for horses and carrgiages after all, so rather than building new lanes (which is expensive, slow, and disruptive), this system tries to optimise the road we already have.

Variable speed limits
Lane control (including that red X)
Sensors tracking traffic flow
And in some cases… removing the hard shoulder entirely

So rather than reacting to traffic…
it tries to predict and shape it.

According to the BBC, as of April 2024 there were 396 miles of smart motorways in England:

All-lane running motorway – hard shoulder permanently removed – 193 miles
Controlled – hard shoulder retained and variable speed limits – 140 miles
Dynamic – hard shoulder sometimes open to traffic – 63 miles

Forgive the use of a pie chart it just felt like it must be done

So…Why Does It Tell You To Slow Down When Nothing’s There?

This is where it gets interesting.

Under the road (and around it), there are sensors constantly collecting data:

How fast are cars moving
How close together they are
Whether traffic is starting to bunch up

All of that feeds into a system called
MIDAS (Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling).

Truly a golden opportunities to use a good acronym. Here’s what the MIDAS actually does:

It looks for patterns that suggest congestion is about to happen
And then intervenes before you even see the problem

The Red X, for the slightly seasoned readers out there, may make you think of a certain teen titan, but for the rest of us normal people, it can be a bit confusing! Why? Because it looks like the lane is not usable, which is only half the story! Rather, the motorway has picked up that there is an accident, an obstacle, or something that makes it not the best place to be, so kindly get out of the lane! Here is what’s happening:

The system detects an issue (breakdown, debris, etc) via radar or CCTV
Closes the lane
Updates the signs

There are even cameras that will fine you if you ignore it.

Because on some smart motorways…there’s no hard shoulder anymore.

It does occur to me as I write this, there are a lot of terms here where if you don’t drive or don’t drive in the UK, may make not sense what so ever, but the hard should is that part of the road the arrow is pointing to in the picture, where cars tend to go when the going gets tuff and your vehicle stops going…it’s gone!

Some smart motorways use something called “all lane running”, where the hard shoulder is permanently turned into a live lane.

Which is great for:

Increasing capacity
Reducing congestion

But raises a very fair question:

Where do you go if you break down?

Enter: Emergency Refuge Areas

Instead of a continuous hard shoulder, you get designated pull-in zones called Emergency Refuge Areas (ERAs).

They’re:

Painted bright orange
Placed roughly every 1–1.5 miles
Equipped with SOS phones

The idea is If something goes wrong, you aim for one of these

But…That gap between them? That’s where a lot of the debate comes in.

The Debate

Yes, there is one! It’s why a good chunk of us get up in the morning! Because on paper, smart motorways may sound great!

You have:

Less congestion
Faster Journeys
Lower emissions

But in reality, alot of people are not completely sold. Organisations like the RAC have raised concerts that around how quickly stopped vehicles are detected and the distance between the refugee areas. Amongst other things, one of the biggest concerns is the reliability of data & tech to handle safety issues in a predictable way, for a species of people who are not exactly known for their predictability (I have been on a few Reddit threads about this, it’s both very scary and incredibly entertaining).

It’s as a result of this that the UK government has actually cancelled plans for new smart motorways, though the existing ones are very much in use.

The Bottom Line

As we are not here to talk about motorway hijinks and government policy, we are here to talk about how data is used and influences our everyday lives. And this is one of the examples where, perhaps there is still a big question mark. Because we’ve built a system powered by data…but we are still figuring out if we actually trust it.

Next time you’re driving and the speed drops from 70 to 50 for no obvious reason…

Just remember:

It’s not random.
It’s not broken.

It’s a system, quietly watching patterns…
trying to stop a problem before you ever see it.

And whether you trust it or not…

That’s data in the wild.

See you next time.

Data in the wild #17: Smart motorways

April 9, 2026

Data in the wild #16: Can You Share Your Location

February 24, 2026

Data in the wild #15: The Data Behind Fireworks

January 8, 2026

The post Data in the wild #17: Smart motorways appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.

Explore Explain S6E8 – Moritz Stefaner & Enrico Bertini (Part 2)

Andy Kirk — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:59:45 +0000

This is the second of a special two-part episode featuring my esteemed guests, Moritz Stefaner, ‘Truth & Beauty Operator’ based in Germany, and Enrico Bertini, Associate Professor, Data Visualization Researcher and Educator at Northeastern University in the USA.

The conversations explored Moritz and Enrico’s respective selections of FIVE significant visualisation-related works, produced by other people, that have most influentially shaped their thinking about data visualisation. They then each offer a further +1 selection from their own body of work that they felt had had most significance on their career story.

In this second-part episode we covered Enrico’s selections as follows:

#1 Narrative Visualization: Telling Stories with Data (2010) – Edward Segel and Jeffrey Heer
#2 D3: Data Driven Documents (2011) – Michael Bostock, Vadim Ogievetsky and Jeffrey Heer
#3 What Makes a Visualization Memorable? (2013) – Michelle Borkin et al
#4 A Nested Model for Visualization Design and Validation (2009) – Tamara Munzner
#5 Frames and Slants in Titles of Visualizations on Controversial Topics (2018) – Ha-Kyung Kong, Zhicheng Liu,, Karrie Karahalios
+1 Showing People Behind Data: Does Anthropomorphizing Visualizations Elicit More Empathy for Human… (2017) – (several authors including…) Enrico Bertini

You can watch and/or listen to the first part, featuring Moritz’s selections, here.

Video Conversation

You can watch this episode using the embedded player below or over on the dedicated Explore Explain Youtube channel, where you’ll find all the other video-based episodes and curated playlists.

Audio Conversation

The post Explore Explain S6E8 – Moritz Stefaner & Enrico Bertini (Part 2) appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.