For my final data visualization project, I chose to work with a data set that observed the geography, population, and power dynamics of the city (tributary state, conquered by Mongols, etc.) over the span of 700 years. The source of the data is from Harvard.
I wanted to create a visualization that would allow users to see the changes in population and power dynamics over time, but also show information like elevation.
In my visualization, the cities are represented by squares.
Hovering over a square shows you the name of the city, the population, and the elevation. The population changes as time goes by, and the size of the shape is relative to the population.
Each city is represented by four squares that form a big square. Each one answers a yes/no question. Green means yes and red means no.
Top left square: Was this city occupied by Mongols in the late 1400s?
Top right square: Was this city in a non-state territory?
Bottom left square: Was this city a capital?
Bottom right square: Was this city in a tributary state?
One interesting thing I noticed during this project is how fast the population can rise and fall. There were some massive cities that suddenly collapsed, and vice versa.
Something I still wonder about is how did they collect this data?