"Being Simple on Complex Issues" -- Accounts on Visual Data Communication about Climate Change

Data visualizations play a critical role in both communicating scientific evidence about climate change and in stimulating engagement and action. To investigate how visualizations can be better utilized to communicate the complexities of climate change to different audiences, we conducted interviews with 17 experts in the fields of climate change, data visualization, and science communication, as well as with 12 laypersons. Besides questions about climate change communication and various aspects of data visualizations, we also asked participants to share what they think is the main takeaway message for two exemplary climate change data visualizations. Through a thematic analysis, we observe differences regarding the included contents, the length and abstraction of messages, and the sensemaking process between and among the participant groups. On average, experts formulated shorter and more abstract messages, often referring to higher-level conclusions rather than specific details. We use our findings to reflect on design decisions for creating more effective visualizations, particularly in news media sources geared toward lay audiences. We hereby discuss the adaption of contents according to the needs of the audience, the trade-off between simplification and accuracy, as well as techniques to make a visualization attractive.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 5 table

Data journeys in popular science: Producing climate change and COVID-19 data visualizations at Scientific American

Vast amounts of (open) data are increasingly used to make arguments about crisis topics such as climate change and global pandemics. Data visualizations are central to bringing these viewpoints to broader publics. However, visualizations often conceal the many contexts involved in their production, ranging from decisions made in research labs about collecting and sharing data to choices made in editorial rooms about which data stories to tell. In this paper, we examine how data visualizations about climate change and COVID-19 are produced in popular science magazines, using Scientific American, an established English-language popular science magazine, as a case study. To do this, we apply the analytical concept of "data journeys" (Leonelli, 2020) in a mixed methods study that centers on interviews with Scientific American staff and is supplemented by a visualization analysis of selected charts. In particular, we discuss the affordances of working with open data, the role of collaborative data practices, and how the magazine works to counter misinformation and increase transparency. This work provides a theoretical contribution by testing and expanding the concept of data journeys as an analytical framework, as well as practical contributions by providing insight into the data (visualization) practices of science communicators.Comment: 44 pages, 4 figures, 3 boxe

Pre-service primary teachers’ shame experiences during their schooling time: characteristics and effects on their subject-choices at university

Emotions play an essential role in pre-service teachers’ competence development, particularly in mathematics. However, the emotion of shame in mathematics has been largely neglected so far. This article deals with shameful experiences of pre-service primary school teachers during their mathematical education at school and the various effects of shame on their decision to study mathematics as a subject at university. The research consists of a qualitative and a quantitative study with 311 prospective primary school teachers who responded to a survey about their experiences of shame in mathematics at school when they were students. Results of the qualitative study emphasize the different experiences in mathematics during the school years and reveal the characteristics of these situations, for example, social exposure or competition games. In the quantitative study, pre-service primary teachers’ subject choice was analyzed in relation to their experienced shame in mathematics at school. Results reveal that shame experienced at school has effects on the initial choice in favor of mathematics at university. Implications for primary teacher education are finally discussed.Peer Reviewe

What is the message? Perspectives on Visual Data Communication

Data visualizations are used to communicate messages to diverse audiences. It is unclear whether interpretations of these visualizations match the messages their creators aim to convey. In a mixed-methods study, we investigate how data in the popular science magazine Scientific American are visually communicated and understood. We first analyze visualizations about climate change and pandemics published in the magazine over a fifty-year period. Acting as chart readers, we then interpret visualizations with and without textual elements, identifying takeaway messages and creating field notes. Finally, we compare a sample of our interpreted messages to the intended messages of chart producers, drawing on interviews conducted with magazine staff. These data allow us to explore understanding visualizations through three perspectives: that of the charts, visualization readers, and visualization producers. Building on our findings from a thematic analysis, we present in-depth insights into data visualization sensemaking, particularly regarding the role of messages and textual elements; we propose a message typology, and we consider more broadly how messages can be conceptualized and understood

Применение одновременно-раздельной эксплуатации скважин с целью повышения темпов отбора нефти

Объектом исследования является Алексеевское нефтяное месторождение. Цель работы – применение одновременно-раздельной эксплуатации скважин с целью повышения темпов отбора нефти. Область применения:результаты исследований могут применяться в дальнейшем для рассмотрения вопросов эффективности мероприятий по интенсификации добычи нефти и увеличению нефтеотдачи. Экономическая эффективность представлена в части "Финансовый менеджмент, ресурсосбережение и ресурсоэффективность".The object of the study is: Alekseevskoe oil field. The aim of this work is the use of simultaneous-separate operation of wells to increase the rate of oil extraction. The decision of goals and objectives is based on the analytical and field studies using modern methods of processing the source information and analysis. Scope: the research results can be applied in the future to review the effectiveness of the measures on intensification of oil production and increase oil recovery. Economic efficiency is presented in "Financial management, resource saving and resource efficiency"