Brief
Amnesty International was looking for a creative solution to showcase the results of an 18-month long investigation into the Battle for Raqqa. We needed to find a way of displaying lots of data that was public, interactive, easy to explore how the battle unfolded, while also showing the immense scale of the civilian casualties it affected.
Solution
We proposed a website that would display the data by location over time. A map of the city would showcase the data and highlight data points in place as the timeline advanced, as well as stories from people on the ground.
The website would feature a ‘lean forward’ and a ‘lean back’ mode, giving different users different ways of digesting the data. The lean-forward mode allowed users to explore the data completely, advancing time manually while being able to select data points as they advance. The lean-back mode told more of a story, using the map interface more as a means of showing the scale of the bombing campaign as time advances between stories from the ground and narrative from Amnesty International explaining the battle.
A story of where
The map interface gives users within the ‘lean back’ mode an overview of where the bombs dropped and their intensity as the battle developed. For users of the ‘lean in’ mode, the pins are interactive, giving in-depth information on that specific incident. The timeline gives the user full control over the specific point of the battle they wish to view.
A story of how
Filters allow the user to dissect the data in several ways. Your selections would update the casualty count at the bottom of the map UI.
Info at each pin on the map shows the number of casualties at each location, who we know died, plus satellite imagery of the before and after and any associated stories.
A story of injustice
Stories are delivered through the map at timely points in the timeline of events, or through a section of stories to show the human impact of the bombing campaign.
Data visuals follow on from the ‘lean back’ mode to give viewers an overview, as well as something to share on social media to spread the word and mount pressure on policymakers to take accountability.
Unfortunately the website was never actually built, due to a number of factors.
