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Alan Smith

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  • Wednesday, 5 February, 2020
    AnalysisBig Data15 min
    Mapping how railroads built America

    A new look at old maps reveals how cities grew and spread over the past 200 years

  • Friday, 31 January, 2020
    Brexit countdown
    The Brexit years in charts

    How Britain’s political crisis hit the country long before its formal EU departure 

  • Tuesday, 14 January, 2020
    Ageing Populations
    In charts: Europe’s demographic time-bomb

    While global population is ageing, continent presents extreme example

  • Monday, 13 January, 2020
    ExplainerUS presidential election20 min
    How map makers will win the 2020 US election

    The FT's Alan Smith investigates gerrymandering, using tiddlywinks and a salamander

  • Sunday, 29 December, 2019
    AnalysisThe Big Read
    Ten charts that tell the story of 2019

    The FT’s pick of the year’s best visual journalism, from extreme weather patterns to signs of a growing surveillance society

  • Friday, 13 December, 2019
    UK general election
    UK general election results at a glance

    View how the parties performed, leaving the Tories with a ‘stonking mandate’

  • Wednesday, 4 December, 2019
    ExplainerBig Data26 min
    Elections, inequality, the haves and the Havants

    Maptastic: the FT’s Alan Smith looks at the most unequal parts of the UK

  • Friday, 29 November, 2019
    AnalysisUK general election
    England in 2019: Split by wealth but united by Brexit

    Voters prioritise resolving the EU crisis over the deep inequality revealed in new research 

  • Wednesday, 13 November, 2019
    Special ReportDiversity in Technology
    What does a chart sound like?

    Audio presentation will make data available to visually impaired users

  • Promoted Content
  • Monday, 6 May, 2019
    Books
    The Art of Statistics by David Spiegelhalter

    A statistically significant data advocate

  • Monday, 1 April, 2019
    Brexit
    How MPs voted on the second round of indicative votes

    MPs again fail to reach a majority for any Brexit option

  • Wednesday, 27 March, 2019
    Brexit
    How MPs voted on the indicative votes

    Visual analysis: see the MP votes and who best shares your views

  • Friday, 15 March, 2019
    ExplainerFT World video8 min
    Chart doctor: the mysterious music of the yield curve

    How turning spreadsheets into sound can reveal hidden trends in data

  • Friday, 15 March, 2019
    Big Data3 min
    Listen to the music of the yield curve

    How does US Treasury bond yield data sound when converted to music?

  • Friday, 15 March, 2019
    ExplainerThe Chart Doctor
    Sonification: turning the yield curve into music

    With the proliferation of smart speakers, turning spreadsheets into sound could be the next big thing in data presentation

  • Tuesday, 22 January, 2019
    The Chart Doctor
    The science behind good charts

    Take part in our interactive experiment to boost your chart-making confidence

  • Sunday, 30 December, 2018
    AnalysisThe Big Read
    Charts of the year: from polarised politics to damaging pollution

    The FT’s graphics tell many of the most important — and often hidden — stories of 2018

  • Thursday, 8 November, 2018
    The Chart Doctor
    How to view all FT graphics in one place

    Let us know the charts you want us to create

  • Wednesday, 12 September, 2018
    The Chart Doctor
    Why spatial data is on the UK political map

    Numbers are more important than oil — they are a modern form of alchemy

  • Wednesday, 18 July, 2018
    AnalysisThe Big Read
    Broadband speed map reveals Britain’s new digital divide

    Postcode comparison shows more than just an urban-rural gap as inner city areas are left behind in internet access

  • Tuesday, 1 May, 2018
    The Chart Doctor
    How to lie with maps

    The internet has profoundly shaped cartography, but has not made it more honest

  • Monday, 16 April, 2018
    Data visualisation
    Dump the PowerPoints or risk losing money

    How to get boards to respond to research on absenteeism and poor productivity

  • Tuesday, 27 March, 2018
    The Chart Doctor
    How to navigate data’s pink and blue problem

    Gender associations are not universal, as data visualisation experts know

  • Wednesday, 20 December, 2017
    Best of the FT in 2017
    Design secrets of the FT’s charts of the year

    Maps, lines and pandas made 2017 a groundbreaking year in data visualisation

  • Tuesday, 28 November, 2017
    The Chart Doctor
    Data visualisation mistakes — how to avoid them

    The FT’s chart expert outlines some basic errors and simple fixes

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