Data alone is of great interest to those specialists focused on research and analysis, dedicated to searching for patterns, correlations or unusual events; all in order to better understand the operation of a process. Data, after all, are recorded observations that allow us to tell a story. It is through these observations that we have progressed as a species; understanding how to combat diseases, discovering the physics of our existence and knowing the impact we have on our planet.
And beyond what we have been able to achieve through the use of data, we have realized that the beauties of our world follow a pattern of numbers; composed of certain proportions that are instinctively pleasant. We refer here to the golden ratio, represented by the Greek letter Phi, a number that can be found in our facial features, flowers, shells, buildings, paintings and designs; an aesthetic rule that has lasted in the history of life, providing a visual with harmony and composition.
And that's how we arrived at the intersection of data and art, highlighting visualization as a key tool linking the two. We see that data tell stories and often follow harmonious patterns. And beyond creating simple graphics, creativity is needed to be able to communicate these patterns and tell these stories in a striking and accessible way to the public. Art made with data becomes something with a purpose other than communicating, but also achieving critical reflection on our society and the world in which we live.
Through platforms such as Pescando Datos, Causa Natura seeks to make transparent and interpret data generated by government institutions; thus facilitating access to this information in a highly digested, visual way and with interactive graphics that encourage better public debates. With this objective in mind, we are constantly looking for better ways to communicate and interest more people in the topics we deal with and the data we provide.
In order to further explore the artistic side of how we communicate information, Causa Natura, in collaboration with Global Fishing Watch, participated in the call for the Data + art from home awards by Abrelatam Condati; an organization that provides meeting points for the Latin American dating community, with the purpose of opening up quality data, with meaning and for the improvement of our societies. Next, we present our work, fortunately rated as one of the 10 best: Subsidies and Fishing Effort in Mexico.
This work is a representation of subsidies and industrial fishing activity in Mexico. Fishing subsidies by state were officially requested from the Mexican government and the fishing activity data come from the Mexican government's tracking system for larger vessels (SISMEP). The bubbles (in pink) above the states represent subsidies, with larger bubbles indicating a greater amount of subsidy. The dots in the sea (in blue) indicate fishing activity. The areas with the highest fishing spots are those with the highest concentration of illuminated spots. We present monthly data from 2013 to 2019. Our goal is to promote transparency and the use of open data on public resources destined for fishing and their impact on fishing activity in Mexico.
If you are interested in learning more you can contact us at info@causanatura.org
Global Fishing Watch is an international non-profit organization committed to advancing ocean sustainability through greater transparency. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, our mapping platform allows anyone to view or download data and investigate global fishing activity in near real time and for free. GFW was founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth and Google. The work of GFW is possible thanks to the generous support of our funding partners and our technology and data providers. globalfishingwatch.org
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