#SkopjeSeZagreva: interactive open-data visualisations
Overview
SmartUp built the #SkopjeSeZagreva Open Data tools, interactive visualisations that make the results of a large household-heating study easy to explore. In October 2018, working with UNDP, the City of Skopje, and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, we turned the study's data into a Power BI experience that anyone can use, from residents curious about their own neighbourhood to policymakers weighing new measures.
The data comes from a field study carried out in January 2017 on a representative sample of 5,044 households across all 17 municipalities of the Skopje region. It showed that heating is the largest source of air pollution in the Skopje Valley, and that households contribute the most.
The challenge
Data people can actually read
Survey results had to be presented in a way that is easy to understand, visually appealing, and open to everyone, not only to analysts.
Beyond static reports
Fixed charts and pivot tables leave little room for building scenarios or digging into segments of the data, which limits what decision-makers can learn from it.
Insights that support decisions
The tools needed to help policymakers see the right correlations, so that policies on heating and air quality rest on evidence.
Activities and methods
We designed and built the tools end to end, so users can click through the data instead of reading a report:
- Custom interface – a fully customised Power BI interface with our own graphics and copywriting. Users choose a municipality, the level of insulation, and the main heating fuel, and every chart updates.
- Scenarios one click away – ready-made scenarios let users explore the data and compare groups of households.
- Three languages – Macedonian, English, and Albanian versions, each with a short version for a quick look and a full version with all data and scenarios.
- Data preparation – cleaning, structuring, and translating the survey data by hand so the visuals tell an accurate story.
- Promotion – messaging and marketing for the tool, so that it reaches citizens and institutions.
Impact and learning
The tools turned a one-off study into a resource that people can keep using. Among the insights they make visible:
- Government measures – the impact of measures such as pellet-stove subsidies on specific areas.
- What drives decisions – how socio-economic factors influence heating choices and awareness.
- Awareness gap – only 1.3% of respondents said they consider whether their way of heating adds to air pollution.
- City strategy tracking – we applied the same approach for the City of Skopje to follow progress on the Climate Change Strategy – Resilient Skopje, showing what has been implemented, which funds were allocated, and how much was spent.
Open access to this data lets anyone take action and make faster decisions on pollution and climate adaptation, based on evidence.
Gallery
Outputs
Planning similar work?
SmartUp can support research, co-creation, facilitation, digital tools, implementation, or learning documentation for related programmes.