Using Public Data to Understand
Population Distribution and
Urbanization in Malta
01/04/2020
Using Public Data to Understand Population Distribution and Urbanization in Malta
01/04/2020
The National Statistics Office (NSO) in Malta has been publishing the population statistics of every Maltese locality since 1901. Whilst it is common knowledge that the Maltese population has been on the rise in the past years, there are little or no statistics on the population’s distribution and urbanisation.
Sample size & Public data:
a well of opportunity to discover vital information spread.
Public data: a well of opportunity to discover vital information
Most countries have their own statistical agencies and regularly publish their generic data. This generic data would in the main part have been previously collected and would be of a fairly high quality where the subject would be used for economic or social implications. But when visualised on a chart they have an impact on the activity of many organisations. In our case, we focused on the study of the distribution of the Maltese population.
Ranking the villages’ population size across time gives you new insight into the population trend, as the most populated towns in Malta are also the biggest in size. This is why the population density, the population size per unit area, becomes a more effective parameter. In fact, visualising the top densely populated towns with a moving bar chart, one can see dramatic changes.
Benji Zammit,
Business Unit Leader
Fact: When I wake up I do 5 minutes of skipping.
Christian Grech,
Senior Data Associate
Fact: I play the Violin
Benji Zammit,
Business Unit Leader
Fact: When I wake up I do 5 minutes of skipping.
Christian Grech,
Senior Data Associate
Fact: I play the Violin
The National Statistics Office (NSO) in Malta has been publishing the population statistics of every Maltese locality since 1901. Whilst it is common knowledge that the Maltese population has been on the rise in the past years, there are little or no statistics on the population’s distribution and urbanisation.
Sample size & Public data:
a well of opportunity to discover vital information spread.
Public data: a well of opportunity to discover vital information
Most countries have their own statistical agencies and regularly publish their generic data. This generic data would in the main part have been previously collected and would be of a fairly high quality where the subject would be used for economic or social implications. But when visualised on a chart they have an impact on the activity of many organisations. In our case, we focused on the study of the distribution of the Maltese population.
Ranking the villages’ population size across time gives you new insight into the population trend, as the most populated towns in Malta are also the biggest in size. This is why the population density, the population size per unit area, becomes a more effective parameter. In fact, visualising the top densely populated towns with a moving bar chart, one can see dramatic changes.
Deconstructing the information
to use it correctly
To make effective use of such global data, it is, of course, necessary to work on cleaning the database, retaining relevant information and removing the irrelevant.
For example, this data does not include touristic data, where. in that case St. Paul’s Bay’s population density reaches 60,000 inhabitants per km square during the summer; It focuses on the Maltese residents. So we can see the rise in density in the Sliema, St. Julians and Gzira areas are notable. It is also very clear in this chart, that people are moving away from the Cottonera area, with major declines noted in Isla, Birgu and Bormla, as well as the capital city Valletta.
[CHART HERE] https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1449196/
Making information consumable
Using public data is an opportunity to analyse your industry with real facts and figures. Analysing this type of information is a major asset for real estate developers, people who rent, real estate agencies… This information can be cross-referenced with many factors – the price of housing, rents, access to transportation, the number of schools, the crime rate, and so on.
While there is an art to creating charts, the science behind visualisation is more important than most people realise. Data visualisation is no longer just for designers and developers. Whether you are a business leader, a strategist or an analyst, suitable data visualisations can help your team communicate with each other using your data to its maximum potential.
More about Onest
Onest is committed to working with clients to understand their business objectives and key performance indicators so that visualisations can be created that intuitively guide users to answer their questions. Our aim is to create dashboards that help you discover new patterns, identify important relationships and explore possibilities.
More about Onest
Onest is committed to working with clients to understand their business objectives and key performance indicators so that visualisations can be created that intuitively guide users to answer their questions. Our aim is to create dashboards that help you discover new patterns, identify important relationships and explore possibilities.
