Monthly theme - November 2026 - Data Visualisation
November's theme in The Data Lab Community is Data Visualisation.
A great chart can make a trend impossible to ignore and can turn a complex dataset into a story people notice. In a world full of data, communicating it clearly and honestly matters more than ever.
This month we're exploring the art of data visualisation and how we turn raw data into charts, maps, and graphics that people actually understand and remember. Whether your a seasoned analyst, a designer who loves clear communication, or just curious about why some graphs work and others don't, there's something for you this month.
We've got a cracking month lined up, with events, webinars and the return of our Data Visualisation Competition - keep reading to find out more!
Data Visualisation Competition 🏆
Competition season is upon us and this year we've teamed up with Public Health Scotland to challenge you to use data to uncover hidden stories about Scotland's health.
You'll be given access to three datasets on A&E attendances, unintentional injuries and community prescriptions, and your be challenge is to create a visualisation that helps people understand an issue, challenge an assumption, highlight an inequality, or identify an opportunity to improve health and wellbeing.
Find out more and register your interest (top prize worth over £500!)
Events 🎟️
As part of our activities throughout the month, we're running a whole host of events and webinars related to the theme. Make sure to register for the ones you'd like to attend via the links below!
- Data Visualisation with AI Agents: You Design, the Agent Builds - 10 November 2026 17:30 - 19:30 GMT [Edinburgh, UK + Online]
What if you could spend your data-visualisation time on the decisions that matter (what to show, how, and why) and let an AI agent handle the downloading, cleaning and coding?
Join us for the Data & AI Meetup where Jon Minton (Knowledge Tree and Butterfly) will show us how AI agents, given the right set-up, can turn design ideas into working charts in seconds. Along the way we'll learn about the difference between a chatbot and an agent, the “grammar of graphics” that underpins most charting tools, and why the same chart can be described once and built in R, Python or JavaScript.
- Inside the Data: Your Guide to the Data Visualisation Competition - 18 November 2026 12:30 - 13:30 GMT [Online]
Our Data Visualisation Competition is back, and this year we’re teaming up with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to challenge you to explore Scotland’s health through data.
Join us for a live webinar with Ken Nicholson from PHS, who will walk you through the datasets behind the competition. He'll explain what’s in the data, what it can (and can’t) tell you, and where there might be stories waiting to be found.
The competition datasets will be available from 4 November, so you can start exploring the data before the webinar and come ready and armed with your questions.
- Detecting Change From the Sky: Using Machine Learning for Agricultural Land Mapping - 19 November 2026 12:00 - 12:50 GMT [Online]
The Land Mapping Team in the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Division maintains national spatial datasets used to support accurate agricultural payments to landowners.
In this session we’ll explore two examples of using machine learning to automate data capture from aerial photography. We’ll explain the approaches taken, show some of the results and visualisations, and discuss what was learned during development.
- Are Your Charts Lying? A Reality Check for Data Visualisation Designers - 26 November 2026 12:30 - 13:30 GMT [Online]
A chart can be misleading without a single incorrect number. The way data is framed, visualised, and presented can influence what people notice, how they interpret information, and ultimately the decisions they make. In this session, we'll explore the relationship between data visualisation, framing, and ethics. You'll learn how to critically evaluate visualisations, recognise common sources of distortion, and design with greater transparency and integrity.
Upcoming themes 📆
Here's a reminder of what we have coming up for the rest of 2026!
- November - Data Visualisation 📈
And here's what we have to look forward to in 2027!
- Jan - Future of Skills & Work 🔮
- Feb - Emerging Technology ⚡️
- Mar - Public Sector 🏛️
- Apr - Geospatial Data 🌍
- May - DataFest: Second Nature 🎟️
- Jun - Ethics ⚖️
- Jul - Energy & Net Zero ♻️
- Aug - Health 🏥
- Sep - Financial Sector 🏦
- Oct - Education 🏫
- Nov - Data Visualisation 📊
If you are interested in contributing to any of our monthly themes, let us know by completing this short form, and we'll get back to you with more info!
We'll help promote events that align with our themes to our 9000+ members, offering an excellent opportunity to reach new audiences and amplify your activities. If you would like some more info on how you can get involved, whether that is by organising an event or sharing other relevant content, get in touch at [email protected], and we'd be happy to chat!