The transformative journey of Eurostat´s flagship publication: Watch the recording of ´Eurostat regional yearbook goes digital!’
The data.europa academy webinar focused on the transformation of Eurostat regional yearbook from a printed publication to a digital interactive tool
On 9 June 2022, the data.europa webinar ‘Eurostat regional yearbook goes digital!’ provided insights into the Eurostat regional yearbook´s journey from a printed/pdf publication with a long-standing tradition to a digital publication and modern interactive tool.
The regional yearbook is Eurostat´s flagship publication that was first published in the 1970s and is now among the Eurostat’s most downloaded publications. Since 2000, the regional yearbook has been published both as print and as PDF, but ´with changing publication modes and users´ needs it became necessary to revisit the format of the publication`, as explained by Bianka Fohgrub (Project Manager at Eurostat).
In 2020, a team made up of data scientists, data journalists, graphic designers, and IT specialists from different Eurostat units, started working on how to improve the regional yearbook, keeping in mind that ´the user experience shall be the main focus`, as stressed by Teodora Brandmueller (Team Leader for Eurostat Regional and Urban Statistics). This is why key concepts behind the renewal process included offering users interactive visuals accompanied by short explanatory text, allowing them to ‘explore and explain’ data. Other key aspects considered by the Eurostat multidisciplinary team were a simple graphic design, a mobile-friendly reading, as well as data visualisations ´that can be easily re-used by others or as stand-alone applications`.
The result of this renewal process is the Eurostat regional yearbook 2021, which was published not only in PDF, but also as an interactive edition. Some of the new additions that make this latter version more user-friendly were presented during the webinar:
- bubble maps of Europe´s gross domestic product (GDP), where the size of the bubble represents the GDP in millions and the colour of the bubble reflects the GDP per inhabitants. By clicking on a certain bubble or the legend, the visitor can also easily get more details on the situation on a certain region in Europe;
- maps transforming into bar charts to catch the attention of the user and better visualise population density;
- barcode maps of youth unemployment, where lines represent European regions ordered by percentage of active population;
- interactive timelines, to highlight how the change in road accidents can differ across regions.
As pointed out by Louise Corselli-Nordblad (Team Leader at Eurostat Publications and Statistics Explained), the 2021 interactive edition of the Eurostat regional yearbook is characterised by enhanced navigation, clearer embed/share functions, additional search fields, and new indicators to take into account the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. These new additions allowed the Eurostat regional yearbook not only to increase the number of its visitors, but also to receive the ´Clear writing award 2021`.
Following the success of 2021, a 2022 edition of the publication is planned for October 2022.
Curious to learn more about Eurostat regional yearbook and its interactive edition? Consult the dedicated data.europa academy page, where you can find the recording and the slides of this interesting webinar!
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