What is a Data Story, and how is it useful?
Data Stories is a feature which enables users to effectively communicate insights from a dataset using narratives and visualisations. It can be used to put data insights into context and inspire action from your audience.
If you prefer video-based learning, here's a video which walks through the steps in this tutorial:
There are three key components to data stories:
Data: Thorough analysis of various datasets. This can either be directly imported in chart or geospatial map format, or you can for example carry out some data analysis with filters and Dashboards, then add the output data into your Data Story in written or table format.
Narrative: A verbal or written narrative, also called a storyline, is used to communicate insights gleaned from data, the context surrounding it, and actions you recommend and aim to inspire in your audience.
Visualisations: Visual representations of your data and narrative can be useful for communicating its story clearly and memorably. Significantly, you can integrate any geospatial dataset which you have access to in the main map, onto your data story. Viewers will have the same interactivity as the usual map offers - the ability to zoom, click on a certain property, and view specific data fields.
Feedback: Adding custom survey questions for your viewers to respond to will allow you to collect valuable feedback from relevant stakeholders.
In the context of local area energy planning, it can be useful for a few reasons:
Onboarding: The ability to combine geospatial/chart/table data with written narrative can provide a useful reference point for new members within your organisation.
Stakeholder Engagement: Data Stories can be as extensive as you require - and support the scenario of capturing feedback on a specific project. Build a story which contains detailed written and visual analysis of the project, share it with your stakeholders and capture valuable feedback.
Dissemination of planning to the public: The public community is a valuable segment to consider in local area energy planning - publicise your Data Stories to improve community engagement and share local targets and projects with your community.
Tips on creating a Data Story
To create a Data Story, simply click the 'Create New Data Story' button on your homepage:
Enter a title and description and select 'Create' to get started!
Note: The data story will be in 'draft' mode, meaning it's private to you. In order to share changes, select the ‘Save or Publish’ button at the top right-hand side of the screen. This will provide you with a choice to ‘Save internally’ or to ‘Publish Externally’. Both will save the latest version of your data story.
Adding Sections to your Data Story
First add a cover slide for your data story, which includes a banner image and title. If you choose not to upload an image, we will supply a default.
Next click 'Add Section' to begin adding sections to the story. Depending on the context of the story, you can add as many Sections as you require - from 1 to dozens!
The Section Editor interface is similar to many common narrative interfaces - but there's more!
Maps and Media
The 'Map and Media' segment allows you to seamlessly ingest visual data (geospatial maps or charts/diagrams) to support your written narrative, survey questions for your viewers to respond to, projects, and DFES scenarios to your data stories:
Adding Interactive Maps to your Data Story
To add an interactive geospatial map, click 'Add Map' under Map and Media.
You'll then be presented with this interface which shows you the same datasets as you have access to on the main map. Just like in the data explorer interface, you are able to add multiple datasets to display at the same time, and select ‘load data’. Where the data will now populate on the map. In this example I have chosen LSOA Domestic Electricity Demand and Domestic Rooftop PV Potential.
You have further customisable configurations available to choose how you want to display the data in your maps. By selecting each data set you can choose the preferred fill colour (which changes will also be reflected in the Legend Information), hight, stroke and opacity of your data layers. This is helpful to ensure that the data displayed is visually easy to understand.
When you are happy, select ‘confirm’ and the map you have configured will be ready to view on your data story.
In the above screen shot you can see that I have changed the ‘fill colour’ of LSOA Domestic Electricity Demand, along with the opacity, to make the Rooftop PV data set
more visible through the layers. There are many ways to configure your datasets, check out this article to find out more.
Select ‘Preview’ in the top right corner to view your data story. Let's visualise our LSOA Domestic Electricity Demand and Rooftop PV datasets on the map we map.
Viewers will be able to explore the map interactively and even focus on specific areas. For example, on a map within a published data story, viewers can click on an LSOA to view specific data for that area, as in the screenshot below.
Next, we'd like to see how this looks once published. Hit 'Save' on the section(s) you have edited, and then choose between saving the story internally, or publishing it externally:
Sharing Data Stories and User Permissions
You can share the data story with anyone you feel would benefit from the data visualisation and written narrative combination. You can also allocate the user access permissions before you send them a data story.
Can Read: View only access to Data Story and their own responses.
Can Edit: Can edit data story and view their own responses.
Can view responses: View only access to Data Story and all responses.
Only users with Permission Level 'Can View Responses' are able to 'View Responses' and 'Export' all responses in a CSV file.
You'll be notified via email when a user responds to your data story, at a maximum of once per day.
For a reminder on how to share data stories, check out this article: Working Collaboratively with other users.
We hope this article was useful! Check out more of our knowledgebase articles for how-to guides on various features.