Maritime Trade Flows – Storytelling and transshipment of containers

This project aimed to improve the exploration and communication of maritime data within an interactive narrative structure. In this regard we conducted several comprehensive design studies about how to visualize cargo flows in an effective and understandable way.

The different visualization approaches were validated and improved through several iterative user tests and evaluation studies.

Instead of the classic methods of visualization such as bar and pie charts they are trying out new, innovative methods. we were looking for alternative approaches and integrated them into narrative context to improve the visualization literacy as well as opening the global context of the data for the user.

The Sankey diagram is a data visualization method to show flows, in which the width of the links are proportional to the flow quantity. This method was chosen because it can apply show which commodities are transported to specific countries. You can also see how much of each commodity is transported. The visualization has been made interactive so the user can experience the data themselves.

The used data: transshipment of Containers via Rotterdam

Containers arriving on container vessels from origins overseas are unloaded in Rotterdam. Nearly 11000 container ves- sels visited The Netherlands in 2016. About 900 of them were giant container vessels that can carry 10000 standard containers (TEU) or more. These giants account for almost 50% of the container transport towards The Netherlands. About one third of the containers are transported to another maritime port via sea.

The different visualization approaches were validated and improved through several iterative user tests and evaluation studies.

Instead of the classic methods of visualization such as bar and pie charts they are trying out new, innovative methods. we were looking for alternative approaches and integrated them into narrative context to improve the visualization literacy as well as opening the global context of the data for the user.

The Sankey diagram is a data visualization method to show flows, in which the width of the links are proportional to the flow quantity. This method was chosen because it can apply show which commodities are transported to specific countries. You can also see how much of each commodity is transported. The visualization has been made interactive so the user can experience the data themselves.

This is called container transshipment*). Rotterdam is a major hub in the trans- shipment of maritime containers along the coastline of Europe and North Africa. This short sea area is the most important destination of transshipment containers that arrive on container giants from across the ocean or from the far east.