Familiar with data viz field guide
LEVEL UP YOUR DATA VIZ CAREER.
A mid-career field guide
Curated by the Data Visualization Society team for designers, journalists, analysts, and engineers ready to add new tools to their skillset and sharpen their current expertise. We have structured these resources around four broad categories within the data visualization field: Data Journalism, Business Intelligence, Spatial Mapping, and Creative Coding.
By Isobel Parkes
While this is by no means an exhaustive directory, it serves as a curated starting point featuring the tools and platforms the Data Visualization Society team has relied on throughout our own professional journeys. Each section outlines general data visualization resources our team recommends, including the newsletters we follow and how to get involved through professional societies, global conferences, and industry awards.
Whether you are looking to pivot your focus or deepen your current technical stack, use this guide as your roadmap for what comes next.
This section explores the intersection of storytelling and data, covering visual journalism, newsroom graphics, and infographics. Because some of the most innovative work in our field is currently emerging from newsrooms, we have curated the specific newsletters and publications our team follows daily.
The Tech Stack▾
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Svelte D3 | To create interactives and animations |
| Observable Framework | To create interactives and animations |
| Layercake.graphics framework for Svelte | A specialized framework for Svelte that provides a structured, responsive “cake” of components to make building custom, reusable charts |
| ArchieML | A simple text format created by The New York Times that allows writers and editors to update data and text in a graphic without needing to touch any code |
| Cloudinary | A cloud service that automatically hosts, resizes, and optimizes your images and videos so they load instantly on any device or screen size |
| BeautifulSoup Selenium Playwright | Scraping tools for acquiring data from websites |
| ai2html Figma2html | For converting custom graphics to web-friendly versions |
| DataWrapper Flourish | No code solutions to create web-friendly charts and maps |
| Python | General-purpose language for data acquisition, analysis, and chart generation |
| R | Statistical computing with ggplot2 for publication-quality visualization |
Python Data Ecosystem for Data Journalists▾
| Task | Library | Primary Function |
|---|---|---|
| PDF Extraction | Camelot-py | High-fidelity table extraction from text-based PDFs |
| Document Mining | spaCy | Production-grade NLP for entity extraction and text analysis |
| Fuzzy Matching | RecordLinkage | Merging datasets without shared unique identifiers (deduplication) |
| Interactive Maps | Folium | Python wrapper for Leaflet.js to create zoomable web maps |
| High-Volume SQL | DuckDB | In-process analytical database for fast SQL on CSV/Parquet |
| Data Wrangling | Pandas | The standard for data manipulation and analysis (Version 3.0+) |
| Geospatial Analysis | GeoPandas | Spatial extension for Pandas to handle vector geometries |
| Machine Learning | Scikit-learn | Foundational library for statistical modeling and clustering |
| Interactive Viz | Plotly | Declarative library for high-end, interactive web-ready charts |
| Modern Scraping | Playwright | 2026 standard for fast, reliable browser automation for AI/JS |
| Legacy Automation | Selenium | Industry-standard web automation for legacy site interactions |
R Data Ecosystem for Data Journalists▾
| Task | Library | Primary Function |
|---|---|---|
| PDF Extraction | tabulapdf | Extracts complex tables from PDFs (R interface for Java Tabula) |
| Document Mining | quanteda | Managing and analyzing large-scale text corpora with high performance |
| Fuzzy Matching | fedmatch | Advanced record linkage for merging datasets with varying string qualities |
| Interactive Maps | tmap | A flexible system for creating both static and interactive thematic maps |
| High-Volume SQL | duckdb | High-performance analytical database engine for massive datasets in R |
| Data Wrangling | tidyverse | The essential suite for data manipulation and analysis |
| Geospatial Analysis | sf | The “Simple Features” standard for handling vector spatial data in R |
| Machine Learning | tidymodels | A unified framework for modeling and machine learning using tidy principles |
| Interactive Viz | highcharter | A powerful R wrapper for Highcharts excellent for high-end web news viz |
| Modern Scraping | rvest | The primary library for harvesting data from HTML web pages |
| Browser Automation | chromote | Controls Chrome for scraping JS-heavy sites (successor to RSelenium) |
| Beautiful Tables | reactable | Creates interactive, sortable, and searchable tables for web reports |
Guides▾
Guide
Making Internet Things Series from The Pudding team
Guide
Scrolly-telling how-to from The Pudding team
Visual and Data Journalism Teams to check out▾
The New York Times
The Upshot & Graphics
The Washington PostGraphics
Financial TimesVisual & Data Journalism
The GuardianVisual Journalism
The PuddingData-driven visual essays on culture and society
ProPublicaData & Diagnostics
The MarkupInvestigative tech accountability journalism
The Marshall ProjectData journalism on criminal justice
South China Morning PostInfographics
The Straits TimesGraphics
The HinduData
Texty.orgVisual and data journalism from Ukraine
Die ZeitZEIT ONLINE Interaktiv
Le MondeLes Décodeurs
El PaísNarrativa Visual
El ConfidencialData Lab
Neue Zürcher ZeitungNZZ Visuals
Visual Journalism Newsletters to check out▾
Newsletter
Graphic Detail
Weekly data-driven charts and analysis from the Economist graphics desk
economist.comNewsletter
Off the Charts
Behind-the-scenes on how the Economist builds its data visualizations
economist.comNewsletter
The Data Vis Dispatch
Curated roundup of the best dataviz work published each week
datawrapper.deNewsletter
Not-Ship
On the craft and process of visual journalism from a practicing editor
not-ship.comFreelancer Resources▾
Pitch
Scientific American
Submission guidelines for data-driven science visualization
scientificamerican.comConferences & Awards▾
- ConferenceNational Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR)
- ConferenceInternational Journalism Festival
- ConferenceGIJC (Global Investigative Journalism Conference)
- ConferenceSource Conference for Open Journalism (SRCCON)
- ConferenceDataharvest (The European Investigative Journalism Conference)
- ConferenceOutlier 2026
- ConferenceOnline News Association (ONA) Conference
- ConferenceComputation + Journalism Symposium
- ConferenceCIJ Summer Conference
- ConferenceSND Digital (Society for News Design)
- ConferencexCoAx (Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X)
- AwardThe Pudding Cup
- AwardThe Sigma Awards
- AwardOnline Journalism Awards (OJAs)
- AwardThe Philip Meyer Journalism Award
- AwardRSS Awards for Statistical Excellence in Journalism
- AwardEuropean Press Prize (Innovation Award)
- AwardWAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards (Best Data Visualization)
- AwardThe Walkley Awards (Data Journalism Category)
1
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
2
Quarter
Revenue
Margin
Δ YoY
3
4
This section focuses on the application of data for organizations through standardized design and robust governance. As the corporate landscape shifts toward unified metric layers and centralized data cultures, we have gathered the essential frameworks, design standards, and technical roadmaps used in Business Intelligence.
The Tech Stack▾
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Power BI | Microsoft business intelligence platform for interactive, visual dashboards and reports |
| DAX | Mastering Calculation Groups |
| Fabric | The Microsoft Fabric “OneLake” architecture for enterprise-level performance |
| Zebra BI | For implementing IBCS (International Business Communication Standards) directly within Power BI and Excel |
| Tableau | A visual analytics platform known for its flexible, creative approach to data exploration and high-fidelity interactive dashboards |
| dbt (Core & Semantic Layer) | For data transformations (SQL modeling) |
| Cube | For embedded analytics, considered the industry leader for “Headless BI” |
| Looker (LookML) | Code-based modelling layer that ensures metric consistency |
| Sigma Computing | Cloud-native BI tool that allows for “spreadsheet-style” analysis on billions of rows without data movement |
| Omni | Modern BI platform combining governed data models with flexible ad-hoc exploration for analysts and business users |
| PowerUI | UX/Design tool to make your Power BI reports look like professional web apps |
Best practices▾
Standard
IBCS (International Business Communication Standards)
A standardized set of rules for the conceptual and visual design of reports to ensure they are clear, consistent, and easy to understand
ibcs.comFramework
Center of Excellence (CoE)
A centralized team and strategy within an organization that establishes best practices, training, and governance for how data is used
learn.microsoft.comGuides▾
Guide
SQLBI
Video series that introduces the specialized tools (like DAX Studio and Tabular Editor) that senior Power BI developers use to optimize their models
sqlbi.comGuide
Improvado BI Strategy Guide 2026
Guide on how to build a BI roadmap, align stakeholders, and move from tactical reporting to a strategic data culture
improvado.ioGuide
The Flerlage Twins Tableau Tips & Techniques
Their Ten Tableau Tips series solves complex visual and technical hurdles (like Level of Detail expressions and custom chart types)
flerlagetwins.comGuide
Tutorials for Data Analysts from Tableau Tim
Deep-dives into new features (like Tableau Pulse and AI Agents)
tableautim.comGuide
Tableau tutorials from Playfair Data
A library of blog posts covering Strategic Frameworks and Innovative Tableau Techniques that focus on the user experience (UX) of dashboards
playfairdata.comConferences & Awards▾
- ConferenceGartner Data & Analytics Summit
- ConferenceMicrosoft Fabric Community Conference
- ConferenceTableau Conference (Salesforce)
- Conferencedbt Coalesce
- ConferenceIBCS Annual Conference
- ConferenceOutlier 2026
- AwardTDWI Best Practices Awards
- AwardGartner Data & Analytics Excellence Awards
- AwardDataIQ Awards
- AwardData Breakthrough Awards
- AwardBARC Start-up Award for Data and AI
- AwardVentana Research Digital Leadership Awards
- AwardIBCS Certified Reports & Dashboards
- AwardThe “Iron Viz” (Tableau)
- AwardZebra BI “Dashboard of the Year”
40.7128° N · 74.0060° W
SCALE 1 : 24,000
EPSG:4326
SHEET 03 / 04
SPATIAL MAPPING· & GIS ·
QGIS Mapbox Kepler.gl FeltThis section explores the field of spatial analysis, bridging the gap between traditional cartography and high-performance data science. Because the frontier of geospatial innovation is currently being pushed by climate researchers, investigative journalists, and cloud-native developers, we have curated the essential newsletters and investigative teams that define the field's professional standard in 2026.
The Tech Stack▾
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| QGIS | For open-source desktop GIS, used for complex vector and raster analysis and high-fidelity map design |
| ArcGIS Pro & Online | Ecosystem for spatial data management, advanced 3D modeling, and field data collection |
| Mapbox | Platform for building high-performance, custom-styled interactive web maps that handle millions of data points smoothly |
| Felt | For collaborative mapping, allowing teams to upload data and design maps in the browser with the ease of a design tool |
| Deck.gl | A WebGL-powered framework for visualizing massive spatial datasets in the browser |
| PostGIS | A spatial database extender for PostgreSQL that allows you to run complex location queries using SQL |
| H3 (Hexagonal Hierarchical Geospatial Indexing) | Used for large-scale spatial clustering and “binning” |
| BigQuery GIS Snowflake Geospatial | For “Big Data” spatial analysis |
| PMTiles | A single-file, cloud-native vector tile format |
| Cloud-Native Geospatial, COG STAC | Allow you to stream only the pixels you need from the cloud, essential for working with satellite imagery at scale |
| Google Earth Engine | A planetary-scale platform for Earth science data & analysis, essential for environmental and climate change monitoring |
| PyQGIS ArcPy | Automate repetitive cartographic tasks or building custom plugins in Python |
| WhiteboxTools | An advanced geoprocessing engine with tools for LiDAR processing and hydrological analysis |
| Segment Anything Model (SAM) for Geospatial | Using AI models to automate feature extraction |
| Leaflet OpenLayers | JavaScript libraries used to embed interactive maps into websites and mobile apps |
| Kepler.gl | An open-source data visualization tool for high-performance analysis of large-scale geolocation datasets |
| DuckDB (Spatial Extension) | For spatial queries on massive datasets directly within your analytical workflow |
| Overture Maps | A collaborative open map data initiative providing high-quality, interoperable map layers for global applications |
Guides▾
Geospatial teams and organizations to check out▾
National Geographic
Maps
Reuters GraphicsSpatial Desk
The New York TimesClimate & Spatial
The Washington PostClimate & Graphics
BellingcatOSINT/Geolocation
NASA Earth ObservatorySatellite imagery and Earth science
EPI – Environmental Peacebuilding
Lighthouse ReportsSpatial investigations
World Resources InstituteGlobal Forest Watch
Bloomberg CityLabUrban data and mapping
Grid-ArendalEnvironmental graphics
Forensic Architecture / ForensisSpatial investigation and human rights
Global Fishing WatchOcean monitoring and fisheries
SkyTruthSatellite-based environmental monitoring
Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT OSM)Crisis and humanitarian mapping
Indigenous Mapping Collective
Newsletters▾
Newsletter
Spatial Reserves
Geospatial analysis, tools, and community resources
spatialreserves.wordpress.comNewsletter
Big Geodata Newsletter
Research updates from the ITC Faculty of Geo-Information Science
utwente.nlNewsletter
Map the World
Spatial intelligence, satellite data, and geospatial AI
spatialintelligence.aiNewsletter
Maps Mania
Daily roundup of interactive maps and mapping projects
googlemapsmania.blogspot.comFreelancer Resources▾
Pitch
National Geographic (Storytelling Grants)
Funding opportunities for visual and environmental storytelling projects
nationalgeographic.orgPitch
Cartographic Perspectives (NACIS)
Peer-reviewed journal for cartographic research and practice submissions
nacis.orgPitch
GIS Lounge (Guest Contributions)
Contribute articles and tutorials to a widely-read geospatial publication
gislounge.comPitch
The Conversation (Environment & Energy)
Academic-quality journalism for a broad public audience
theconversation.comConferences & Awards▾
- ConferenceNACIS (North American Cartographic Information Society) Annual Meeting
- ConferenceFOSS4G (Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial)
- ConferenceState of the Map (OpenStreetMap)
- ConferenceCloud-Native Geospatial Outreach Day
- ConferenceGEO Week (Group on Earth Observations)
- ConferenceEsri User Conference (Esri UC)
- ConferenceOutlier 2026
- ConferenceGeospatial World Forum (GWF) 2026
- ConferenceEuroCarto 2026
- ConferenceGeoPython 2026
- ConferenceIGARSS 2026 (IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium)
- ConferenceQGIS User Conference 2026
- ConferenceState of the Map US 2026
- AwardAGI Awards for Geospatial Excellence
- AwardThe British Cartographic Society (BCS) Awards
- AwardEsri StoryMaps Competition
- AwardThe Kenneth D. Gardels Award (OGC)
- AwardGeospatial World Forum Innovation Awards
CREATIVE CODING
CREATIVE CODING
CREATIVE CODING
& INFORMATION DESIGN
This section covers work from artists, data practitioners, information designers, and creative technologists. Data and programming is used to create static visuals, generative art, interactive installations, branding, and information architecture. We have curated the studios and practitioners pushing the boundaries of creative coding and information design in 2026.
The Tech Stack▾
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| p5.js 2.0 | Web-based creative coding |
| Three.js (with WebGPU) | 3D library |
| WebGPU & WGSL | The successor to WebGL, allowing for performance gains in particle systems, LiDAR point clouds, and real-time generative simulations |
| React Three Fiber (R3F) | A powerful React bridge for Three.js, essential for building complex, state-driven 3D interactive dashboards |
| Processing (Java/Python) | The foundational environment for generative design, still vital for large-scale physical installations and print-quality algorithmic art |
| Shaders (GLSL/WGSL) | Programs that run directly on the GPU to create liquid-smooth animations, lighting effects, and procedural textures |
| momentum.js | A 2026 toolkit that bridges the gap between generative code and timeline-based animation in professional video suites |
| Segment Anything Model (SAM) for Design | An AI framework used by information designers to automatically isolate and manipulate visual elements in complex images or datasets |
| Canvas & SVG API | The fundamental web technologies for rendering everything from simple charts to million-point scatterplots |
| GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform) | For complex, high-performance web animations and transitions |
| TouchDesigner | Used for large-scale physical data installations and live data performances |
| Adobe Illustrator | The industry standard for high-fidelity static information design |
| RAWGraphs | A vital bridge for static designers; it allows you to upload a spreadsheet and generate complex, “unconventional” chart geometries (like circular dendrograms or alluvial diagrams) to be exported as SVGs for further styling in Illustrator |
| Datylon | Illustrator plugin that brings data-linking to the design canvas, allowing for the creation of reusable, data-driven templates without sacrificing pixel-perfect control |
| Analog Data Sketching | Sketching with pencil and paper to explore ideas, map structure, and prototype visual forms before moving to screen |
Guides▾
Guide
The Nature of Code 2.0
Daniel Shiffman’s definitive guide on simulating natural systems (physics, fractals, and evolution) using p5.js and JavaScript
natureofcode.comGuide
Generative Design (Digital Edition)
Provides a structured logic for creating form, color, and typography through algorithmic rules
generative-gestaltung.deGuide
The Book of Shaders
A step-by-step written guide to mastering fragment shaders
thebookofshaders.comGuide
Creative Code Intensive (Gray Area)
A professional curriculum focused on bridging the gap between coding fundamentals and gallery-grade interactive installations
grayarea.orgTeams and practitioners to check out▾
Truth & Beauty (Moritz Stefaner)
Data visualization and information design
Clever°FrankeData-driven design and digital experiences
Interactive ThingsDigital products and data visualization
DensityDesign Research LabInformation design and data visualization research
Schema DesignInformation design studio
The PuddingData-driven visual essays on culture and society
TULP interactiveInteractive data visualization
AccuratData-driven storytelling and visualization
PentagramData & Technology design
Stamen DesignData visualization and cartography
Domestic Data StreamersData experience design
UtsuboCreative coding and generative design
Garden EightCreative technology and interactive design
Information is BeautifulAward-winning data visualization studio
Giorgia LupiInformation designer and author
Shirley WuCreative developer and data artist
Cédric SchererData visualization designer and consultant
Stefanie PosavecInformation designer and author
Kim AlbrechtDesigner and researcher
Matthias ShahlData journalist and visual storyteller
Valentino D’EfilippoInformation designer
Nadia BremehData visualization designer
Federica FrangapaneInformation designer
Tiziana AlocciInformation designer
Conferences & Awards▾
- ConferencetheGATE Festival 2026
- ConferenceArs Electronica Festival
- ConferenceSónar Barcelona / Sónar+D
- ConferenceOFFF Barcelona
- ConferenceSIGGRAPH 2026 (North America)
- ConferenceFITC Toronto
- ConferencePUSH UX
- ConferenceMUTEK Montréal
- ConferenceProcessing Community Day (PCD) 2026
- ConferenceAda Lovelace Day
- ConferenceFuture Technologies Conference (FTC)
- AwardThe Pudding Cup
- AwardS+T+ARTS Prize
- AwardThe Lumen Prize
- AwardD&AD Awards (Digital Design)
- AwardThe Webby Awards
- AwardCommunication Arts Interactive
- AwardAwwwards