Andrew Steven Hahn
Data Storytelling in Practice
My work
Stories I’ve told with data
A crochet land cover map of Wisconsin
January 7, 2026
This map is an experiment in texture and generalization, and it uses a unique mix of physical and digital techniques to transform a highly detailed landcover dataset into a physical surface intended to be read as much with your hands as your eyes.
Does daylight saving time contribute to deer collisions?
November 6, 2023
Using data from the state Department of Transportation, I conducted an analysis for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found that car accidents involving deer spike in alignment with the end of Daylight Saving Time each year. Deer behavior experts weighed in on what might be causing the relationship.
Wisconsin’s first comprehensive gun death database
October 23, 2023
No state agency in Wisconsin maintains comprehensive records on gun deaths in the state. The Investigations Team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel combined the results of open records requests from all 72 counties to take the first look at gun death trends across the state. This dashboard is part of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s award-winning Behind the Gun series.
Explore Milwaukee’s TCE Cleanup Sites
August 16, 2023
In 2023, several Milwaukee-area residential buildings were evacuated due to unsafe levels of an industrial carcinogen, the presence of which was not disclosed to residents. I developed a map application for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that allows readers to view risks to their own buildings as part of a public service approach to a rapidly developing story.
Wisconsin’s Brand Deserts
June 24, 2024
To test new technologies for the newsroom, I had the opportunity to try out approaches for more lighthearted stories. Here, I identified populations living within 10 and 30 minutes of Wisconsin’s most iconic brands. This story was part of the Wisconsin Wonk project, a content initiative focused on building trust and engagement between communities and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Crochet Cartography: a Texture Adventure
May 2023
I have been experimenting with crochet maps for the last few years. Texture is an extremely important variable in digital cartography, and it can be represented tangibly with fiber arts. This practice can be applied equally to raster data and vector data.
How will new legislative maps affect your representation?
March 2024
To make a national issue tangible to readers, I used historic election results and GIS to identify areas of the state that were especially likely to flip party representation under Wisconsin’s new legislative maps in 2024.
Method
Workshops and Teaching
Fall 2024 | Madison, WI
LIS 705: Introductory Analytics for Decision Making
I taught approaches to data analytics at the graduate level in the Information School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Topics included the analytical process, data storytelling, statistics and probability, regression, chi-square, and data visualization.
November 2024 | Boston, MA
Artificial Intelligence for Strategic Enrollment Management
I presented about AI developments in higher education to members of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers at their 2024 Strategic Enrollment Management Conference.
November 2023 | Detroit, MI
Introduction to MapBox
I conducted a one hour training for developers and reporters at the Detroit Free Press about MapBoxGL.js, MapBox Studio, and how to use these tools to tell stories on the web efficiently.
November 2023 | Madison, WI
How (and why) to incorporate texture into your data visualizations
I spoke to the Wisconsin Tableau User Group about how web graphics may have become too flat, and what we can do about it as data visualization developers.
May 2022 | Baltimore, MD
Introduction to GIS for higher education administrators
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators invited me to their Student Success in Higher Education conference to train attendees in geospatial analytics and visualization techniques that can reveal new insights in student data.
April 2021 | Madison, WI
A better way to map student movement across campus
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Data Science Hub Research Bazaar, I presented a method for pinpointing student outreach opportunities by mapping course schedule data.
Outreach
Media appearances and interviews
AACRAO Webinar Series | August 20, 2024
AI in Strategic Enrollment Management
I spoke on a panel about artificial intelligence developments in higher education for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
The Todd Allbaugh Show on Civic Media | June 28, 2024
Are you in a Culver’s Desert? With Andrew Hahn
I joined Todd on air to talk about my analysis of “brand deserts” in Wisconsin and why wonky Wisconsin news can build engaged communities.
Perpetual Motion Machine on WORT FM 89.9 | February 29, 2024
Data visualization using fabric
Lauren Hicks of WORT FM 89.9 had me on her program to talk about texture in cartography and how and why I crochet maps.
Nieman Reports | August 9, 2023
Journalists are turning to crochet to tell data stories
I spoke to Nieman Reports editor Sarah Scire about my process for creating crochet maps, and why we can use yarn to tell stories with data that our digital screens can’t reproduce.
Flowing Data | June 23, 2023
Newsletter: Crochet lake map
Data visualization newsletter Flowing Data featured my crocheted map of Lake Mendota in its June 2023 edition.
WORT FM 89.9 | August 26, 2016
Can we make and keep our water safe?
Brian Standing, host of the 8 O’Clock Buzz, spoke to me about how Wisconsinites on both sides of the political spectrum are increasingly frustrated with water contamination.
Central Time on Wisconsin Public Radio | August 8, 2016
Water concerns in elections, games reflecting the times
WPR’s Rob Ferrett interviewed me as a reporter at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism about my investigation into water contamination as a political issue in Wisconsin elections.
Get in touch
If you have a story I should know about, or would like to collaborate on a conference workshop or presentation, send me an email using the form below.
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Andrew Steven Hahn 