Cascade is about scale, empathy and humanity. This cinematic data landscape takes us on a journey through 5.2 billion data points over six continents to tell the story of how Neglected Tropical Diseases or NTDs affect millions upon millions of people every year. These diseases are often-overlooked but have a profound impact on their daily lives. They are, however, preventable and treatable, we simply need to act.
Presented at the 2017 Neglected Tropical Diseases Sumit in Geneva, hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which was the result of the largest 24-hour donation of pharmaceuticals in history to help combat NTDs!
The scale of numbers and impact within the raw data set of Cascade was huge. As any good data design, it started with finding the stories hidden within these numbers and constructing the narrative. Here's what was discovered:
5.2Bn
Individal medicines delivered globally
975Mn
Men, women and children who received them by 2015
1.56Bn
People who still needed help as of that year
After plotting some rough ideas down on paper and figuring out a conceptual framework and underpinnings of the piece which was inspired by the murmurations of starlings the piece moved to the digital environment.
This cinematic data experience unfolds on a canvas equivalent to three London double-decker buses.
Here is a small behind the scenes of how Beyond Words Studio and Territory brought this piece to life.