If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a map worth?

Data Visualization Freelancer (FI)

Geographer by day, geospatial visualization designer by night, Topi Tjukanov combines expertise in geography with a passion for data visualization. After graduating from Helsinki University with a Master of Science and a specialization in planning geography, Topi began working with the open data from the city of Helsinki and greater Finland to make insightful and revealing geospatial data visualizations. This approach has led to a freelance career — and a loyal Twitter following — developing works that often play with the perception of time and space, and aim to show the underlying patterns of activity that exist in daily life.

At Visualizing Knowledge, Topi will offer a peek through his geographical lens to data visualization by sharing his open-source geospatial toolstack. He will explain the process of making simple geospatial animations, which are an excellent ways to visualize spatiotemporal data. He will demonstrate how experimental ways of visualizing geospatial data, beyond animation, can blur the lines between normal data visualization, mapmaking and even data art.