News & tools – Page 3 – Online Reporting, Research & Writing

My introduction to Google Fusion Tables

This week, I took on a new challenge and the outcome was a Google Fusion Table. Google Fusion Tables is a useful tool that gathers data into an organized visual. In my opinion, this is the way I prefer to see data. Data can usually be confusing and hard to read or understand, but when it’s in some kind of chart or picture it instantly becomes easier on the eyes.

I chose to mimic a Fusion Table we practiced in class based on the 2016 Michigan voter turnout organized by county off the Michigan Secretary of State website.

With the data available on the website, I was able to download it onto my computer and then upload it up on Google Fusion Tables.

This is the data downloaded off the Secretary of State website.

After letting Google Fusion Tables do it’s magic, I got a literal map of my data. Voter turnout was shown geographically by each county in Michigan.

Google Fusion Table map of voter turnout by county in Michigan.

Google Fusion Tables is a tool I am happy to have explored. It will help my readers and I in understanding data and furthermore, allow us to not be intimidated by any complicated spreadsheets that hide beneficial information!

MLive database: A place to find salaries near you

Many people look into salaries when looking for a job or picking a career to choose in college. MLive database of state employee salaries is a great data set to look at when gathering information about all of the salaries for state of Michigan employees.

This database provides all the information you would need when looking into salaries, and the database narrows it down to only Michigan. It’s better then giving you an average salary in general.

MLive is based on salaries in Michigan but does not include any other benefits. This website is made very simple for people to use. All you have to do is type in a name and click the employee you are looking for or you could simply click on the job title you want and it will show you the amount that position makes.

Tracking Solar Activities

I found this cool data base site that allows one to track solar radiation and other cosmic activities thats free for the public use. This site allows one to stay up to date on whats taking place above them which can helps one to avoid, and or prepare for dangerous solar radiation and or other cosmic events.

We all have seen the many different weather upheavels lately, and some has been caused by solar radiation and other solar activities which has aided towards the floods, droughts, meteorites and etc. Its very benificial to be able to have a reliable data base accessible for the publics use for information on current solar events and activities.

The National Solar Radiation Data (NSRD), provides comprehensive information for the United States and other international locations. This site is also growing daily to stay up to date and informative which makes it a lot more easier to stay informed.