PyCon UK 2022

Visualising large datasets: everyone in the UK Census
2022-09-18 , Assembly Room

Visualising large datasets requires care and specialised tools to understand both the big picture and the fine details. This talk uses Datashader to visualise the location and demographics of everyone in the UK. Expect beautiful plots and interesting things to learn about both the tools and the data.


This talk provides a simple introduction into the use of Datashader to visualise large datasets. Rather than using some esoteric or fabricated data, it uses UK Census data that is relevant to everyone who was in the UK for the 2011 Census as it includes them all.

The talk begins with static plots produced by Datashader showing the locations and some key demographics of the Census data. This is then extended through the use of HoloViews and Bokeh to provide a more interactive experience.

No prior knowledge of Datashader is necessary but a basic familiarity with Pandas and Jupyter will be helpful.


Is your proposal suitable for beginners?: yes

Ian Thomas is a Senior Software Engineer at Anaconda. Originally an ocean modeller, Ian has many years' experience analysing and visualising data. Ian is an Open Source contributor to a number of libraries, most notably Bokeh, Matplotlib and more recently Datashader.