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IDSCS: Storytelling with Data
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IDSCS
The Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” - Skopje (IDSCS) is a Macedonian based think-tank organisation that is non-governmental, non-partisan and non-profit. It was established in 1999 by a group of intellectuals gathered around the idea of democracy, solidarity and civil society. The long term objectives of the Institute include the work on a balanced socio economic development, active citizenship and participative political culture.
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Our partner, the Institute for Development and Strategic Analysis (IDSA), recognized for its work in the field of corrosive capital in the Western Balkans, approached us with a proposal to bring the topic closer to the public through an analysis of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). Aware of our portfolio's segment dedicated to data visualization projects, they saw an opportunity for collaboration.
The concept was that by analyzing the available data on FDIs, one could draw fascinating conclusions that would be of interest to researchers, journalists, and the professional community. However, to achieve this, it was crucial to structure the data in a way that would tell the relevant story effectively.
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Leveraging IDSA's profound understanding of the topic and our extensive experience in data visualization and storytelling, we quickly came up with a concept through several brainstorming sessions. Our goal was to develop a dashboard that wouldn't be merely descriptive, static, complex, and tiresome data manipulation that would deter almost everyone but the most determined users. Instead, we aimed to create a tool through which anyone could easily and independently access the data and conclusions offered by the dataset on foreign direct investments in the Western Balkans.
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The success of the final product is evidenced by its presentation on several television programs and its use as a basis for the conclusions drawn therein. The website's visitation stats, which show extensive and active usage by target groups, also speak volumes about its impact.
We were particularly pleased that this project allowed us to work with open data, enabling us, unlike other projects, to finally showcase our work in this area as well.
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