Data visualization projects are popular with Scout staff and subscribers alike. This light-hearted data viz project struck a chord with readers for its exploration of questions surrounding beloved pets. The lovable subject is only rivaled by the impressive display of coding and design, so even animal-averse readers will have plenty to gain by giving it a click.
It is a question that has divided people for centuries: Are you a cat person or a dog person? Whether you prefer felines or canines, many questions surround both species. For example, Nadieh Bremer, a data visualization designer and long-time cat owner, wondered, "Why does my cat go crazy for my sweaty gym clothes?" Recognizing that many people turn to the internet for answers, Bremer created Why Do Cats and Dogs, a project using Google Trends data from 2014-2018 to examine the "most asked questions about cats and dogs that start with the word 'why' in Google Search." The project's landing page welcomes users to choose a track: dogs, cats, or "Surprise me!" (which randomly selects one or the other). After making this selection, readers can explore the popular inquiries people Googled for each animal. Questions are grouped topically (e.g. Likes and Dislikes and Licking, Biting & More) and visualized by the popularity of search terms. Users can toggle over search terms for additional backstory, or click on them to generate the Google search for themselves. Scrolling to the bottom of either dataset, readers will find a query bar to free-form search the data, as well as additional content comparing cat and dog searches on a global scale. Whether visitors learn something insightful (such as why dogs bark) or silly (such as why cats are scared of cucumbers), this data visualization project is definitely worth checking out.
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