Diving Into WIA’s Data Viz Competition with Past Champion, Dinuski De Livera

A Conversation with Past Champion, Dinushki De Livera

Dinushki De Livera won first place in WIA’s inaugural Data Viz Competition back in 2018. She has gone on to speak at the 2019 WIA conference and take on a role as a WIA Ambassador.

Read on to learn more about her story and why she encourages anyone considering participating in the Data Viz Competition to enter.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm originally from Sri Lanka, moved to the US 8 years ago for college. I got my Bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance and my Master’s in Applied Economics from the University of Cincinnati. In grad school, I took a data visualization class and fell in love with it immediately. This led to my current position as a Business Analyst at UNIFUND in Blue Ash, Cincinnati. I love everything to do with data, making it informative, interesting and beautiful. 

Tell the readers about your visualization and what inspired it.

My visualization is about the labor force of the City of Cincinnati, focusing on women. I was inspired to do this viz for many reasons. I started the viz in March, which is National Women's History Month, it was during all the Women's Marches are over the country and it was the perfect topic to present at the WIA conference.

Why did you decide to enter the Data Viz Competition at the WIA Conference?

My supervisor saw details about the competition posted on Twitter and told me I should send something in. I was reluctant at first because I had only five days till the deadline, but I saw it as a challenge and went for it. 

Why do you think data visualization is important to everyday life? 

The world is moving at a very fast pace when it comes to big data. If people are not able to grasp this data in an informative and efficient way, there are so many opportunities, insights, and knowledge that could be missed. I think in every company, institution, or organization - however big or small they are - incorporating data visualization is only going to give them an edge one way or the other.

What would you say to others thinking of entering the Data Viz Competition?

I would highly recommend giving it a shot. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced data visualizer, it’s a great platform to show off your work and story. It also helps that the prizes you stand a chance to win are very generous. 

Who are some of your favorite women in analytics?

I'm a huge fan of any woman that is striving to be her best, and I'm always most inspired by all the boss ladies in the data world. 

Do you have any advice for those up-and-coming in your field?

Yes! Take initiative! Don't wait to be told what to do. If you have an idea, don't be afraid to share it!

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If you want to dig in further to De Livera’s interactive visualization, you can view it in full at the link here.

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When we dug into Dinushki’s visualization, we discovered some interesting insights surrounding the women workers of the City of Cincinnati:

• Women make up around 35% of the total City of Cincinnati workforce population.
• More women hold higher-paying roles in the parks & recreation, legal, and council departments while fewer women hold higher-paying roles in the police, fire, and other public service departments.
• While there are quite a few women firefighters on the City of Cincinnati’s payroll, none hold a role above Lieutenant.
• The age of women workers is more widely distributed than that of men in the same workforce, with the majority of women falling between 31 and 60 years old.
• The average woman makes around $6000 less than the mean salary for a worker in the City of Cincinnati, while the average man makes around $4000 more. This leads to an overall disparity of $10,000 between men and women’s salaries. However, this salary discrepancy could be due to a large number of women holding part-time jobs.
• Women make up 53% of full-time workers bringing in over $160K annually. Additionally, the highest-paid part-time worker is a woman. 

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Want to apply to the 2020 Data Viz Competition Like Dinuski?

WIA is once again hosting our annual Data Viz Competition! Visualization and storytelling experts of all genders are encouraged to participate. Submit your entry on our website by December 14 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to enter. 

Entries can be any of the following:

• Tableau Dashboards
• RShiny / RStudio based applications
• Maps, Graphs, Charts, Visuals, or Tools created via a software program (e.g. Adobe, Google, Excel)
• Physical / 3-D Visualizations (e.g. paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs)
• Virtual or Augmented Reality
• Other Original Ideas (get creative and wow the crowd!)

The only requirement is that entries must be mobile and able to be displayed indoors. Voters should also be able to view and understand your visualization in an online format via the Women in Analytics website. If you have any questions, contact the WIA team.

Learn more and enter on our Data Viz Competition page.

How does it work?

On Monday, January 13th, the Top 10 submissions will be revealed and posted on our website where users can interact with each viz and vote for their favorite. That means YOU can check back and vote to help WIA narrow down the TOP 10 to the TOP 5.

At WIA 2020, the popular vote will determine which top three finalists win cash prizes! During the conference, be sure to visit the Data Gallery to meet the finalists, interact with their viz’s, and cast your live vote to help crown the 2020 WIA Data Viz Champ!

Don’t forget to mark your calendar and register for the 2020 Women in Analytics Conference.