Jose Duarte Builds 100-Plus Analog Data Projects for Colombia's 50% Offline Communities
Updated
Updated · en.sedaily.com · Aug 22
Jose Duarte Builds 100-Plus Analog Data Projects for Colombia's 50% Offline Communities
1 articles · Updated · en.sedaily.com · Aug 22
Summary
More than 100 participatory projects have been created by Jose Duarte's Bogota studio Easydataviz, using carts, baskets, balloons and street games to turn data into public conversation.
About half of Colombia's population lacks direct internet access, Duarte said, making analog, physical data tools a practical alternative to screen-based communication in underserved urban and rural areas.
Six-person Easydataviz works with institutions including the UN and World Bank, but its method centers on co-design with residents so communities keep using information after the project team leaves.
Recent examples include a Panama "Data Cart" on waste, a Belgium traffic play kit for bus stops, and Colombian market-basket installations that helped shoppers grasp inflation through hands-on choices.
Duarte says the next challenge for data visualization is crossing disciplines—linking designers, developers, journalists, scientists and artists—while keeping data simple enough for ordinary citizens and children.
As Colombia's inflation spikes in 2026, can street carts and playful games actually help citizens survive an economic crisis better than digital screens?
What happens when a city abandons digital screens to turn complex data into physical street games during massive urban closures?