What We Offer

The Design of Data

Designers often think about design in terms of graphic elements—color, type, grid, contrast, etc…These apply at a user interface level. Programmers think about design in terms of database construction and how elements fit together at an application level. At Urban Mapping, we think about the design of data informing both applications and UI.

Our maniacal approach to defining every datum type we deal with means highly-structured data that informs application and interface development. At its most simplistic level, narrowly thinking about data limits what can be done with it downstream. Our approach requires that we consider how end-users will consume and manipulate data; we then work backwards to develop appropriate strategies to ingest, maintain and manipulate complicated data types. You can learn more about our unique approach in this presentation and by reading about the relationship between storm tracking and design limitations.