Small Multiples

We are data visualisation specialists from Sydney, Australia. A multidisciplinary team to help you create value from complexity.

info@small.mu

TEL: +61 2 9029 4212

Studio 409, 55 Holt St Surry Hills NSW Australia 2010 map

SBS Census Explorer
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We worked with SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) to visualise the statistics behind people who speak 579 different languages in 9,138 locations around Australia.
SBS Census Explorer »

This project took the form of a data exploration tool visualising the key demographic indicators from Australia's 2011 Census. We created interactive visualisations for 579 languages and 9,138 locations in Australia. Built with open source web technology, the SBS Census Explorer is an accessible tool for learning more about who we are and where we're heading as one of the most multicultural countries in the world.

Although simply translating the Census data into graphical form helps people to understand the numbers better, it's more about how you choose to interpret those charts. Maybe it's that spike in arrivals after the Vietnam war, or the large proportion of university-age Mandarin speakers, or how a greater proportion of Hungarian speakers are Australian citizens compared to Australia as a whole!

The SBS Census projects shows how good we all are at telling stories about our country and our culture.

A technical blog post to follow!

Making census data accessible

Data was broken down into digestible bits and descriptive text was generated to support the visuals (left shows population and housing statistics of Vietnamese and African language speakers in Australia).

Visualising from different perspectives

Discover multicultural Australia via languages and locations.

Percentage of population

Density map (choropleth) of Vietnamese and African language speakers showing place of residence around Sydney.

Country of birth

Maps showing birthplaces of Vietnamese and African languages speakers by proportion.

Citizenship status

Showing differences between established and emerging migrant communities.

Waves of migration

Spot correlations between significant events and massive increases in migrant numbers.

How have we changed?

Comparion between 2006 and 2011 census statistics identifies some of the fastest growing community groups.

Small Multiples

SBS Census Explorer

Making census data accessible

Visualising from different perspectives

Percentage of population

Country of birth

Citizenship status

Waves of migration

How have we changed?