Bringing water data to life

Challenges

Part 1: Understanding Water Quality

Grindstone was selected by the Victorian State Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to produce a series of conceptual data visualisations to present its Understanding Water Quality data to the Victorian public.

Part 2: Victorian Water Accounts

As a separate project, Grindstone was engaged by DELWP to identify key highlights within its 300 page Victorian Water Accounts document, and make this information about water resources more accessible to the community.

For each project independently, this required communicating complex information in a simple, creative, clear and compelling way.

Strategy

Both briefs originated as requests for static infographics, so we put our design thinking caps on and developed them into two individually functioning, yet creatively streamlined, immersive online data visualisation experiences. For both websites this gave users the opportunity to be led through a flow of narratives explaining key concepts while giving them the ability to interact with data and obtain detailed information.

Our approach was to use the online environment to provide layers of information to meet the diverse needs of the audience, including animations and other enhancements as part of the interactive digital experience for maximum engagement.

Outcomes

The Victorian Water Accounts highlights website was launched at the end of August 2019, closely followed by the Understanding Water Quality website, published during National Water Week at the end of October.

Grindstone has brought both data sources to life, creatively defining and interpreting the information to capture the imagination of much wider audiences.

Following the development of these two innovative visualisation platforms, Grindstone was engaged to create a new vision for the full Victorian Water Accounts by taking them online as well. The new VWA site offers a more highly visual, accessible and interactive format for the accounts, which were previously available only as a 300-page printed document. The content management system allows DELWP to automatically update its water data annually, and gives visitors the opportunity to easily locate and compare information across surface water basins, distribution systems and groundwater catchments through compelling visual infographic design.

https://accounts.water.vic.gov.au/

Services

• Copywriting
• Concept development
• Visual design
• Data visualisation
• UI and UX design
• Web development