Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Visualized by Pitch Interactive at http://drones.pitchinteractive.com/
This is an incredible visual representation of deaths in Pakistan incorrelation with drone attacks made by the USA. Through a very simple color scheme, timing, and brief explanation throughout the animation, the author was able to drive home the negative impacts of drone attacks. The colors grey, white, and two shades of red appear on a black background, setting the mood of the project. These colors are not only visually striking at first sight, but given the subject matter it supports the negative feel of the visualization, as red is often associated with blood and black can be easily associated with death. The simple, curved, animated lines and soft grey circles that appear at their impact on certain years represent the drone strikes per year. This simple element is a genius way of connecting drone attacks with deaths caused by them, since each impact sends a stream of casualties plummeting into the darkness that is the black background. After a pause and some text signifying where in the timeline Obama is sworn into office, a steady stream of drone attacks begins, and picks up pace until it ends on Christmas Day of 2013. This pacing and the striking visual elements of the piece really make you pay attention to the scope of what they are trying to communicate: drones are as simple as those little lines and soft grey circles, but they can have devastating consequences not originally intended by their operators... and their use has only increased. The bar across the top of the page, showing the casualties in children, civilians, and those unknown with their respective colors of bright red, dark red, and grey, shifts with each drone strike. This highlights the fact that this visualization is focusing on collateral damage. All of these deaths were not originally intended, or, at least, they weren't the main target. It displays a shocking percentage of those unknown, killed by faceless drones controlled by people who didn't know who they were, with no voice to defend themselves. After the initial animation, the visualization becomes interactive, and by rolling over your mouse you can view the location, number of deaths, number of attacks, and other details on specific dates. A magnified view option reveals that each dot to represent each death is in the shape of a person. This aspect is extremely successful for the visualization, as it humanizes the statistics and better communicates the message at a more personal level for those who are distant form the violence.
Overall a very effective data visualization.
