Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET TSC) Market Data Visualization: Proof of Concept

The current reporting methodology involves a tabular format that uses colored arrows to show the direction of price changes over a specified time period. This format is useful for temporal reporting, but market data analysts would like to geographically represent the data to better see patterns of movement. The proposed display would allow users to query and display price data geographically, enabling them to look at patterns in price movements over time and space. From a display perspective, the system would be similar to Ki-supplies, with some key differences. The new system would allow users to select from a list the commodity they want to display, as well as select from a drop-down the parameters that would determine the color of the dots representing the price changes. The system would also have additional functionality, including the ability to look at regional maps, print the created map with a legend, and dump the data from the map into a spreadsheet. The ability for an admin to add new scenarios to the drop-down for visualization would be a stage two feature. The system would be developed using the existing functionality in Ki-supplies, with a proof-of-concept to be completed using the existing functionality in Ki-supplies. A map of Mali with the markets displayed in different colors for a single commodity based on the month-over-month change in prices from May to June 2012 would be created as part of the proof-of-concept. If FEWSNET likes the idea, a more detailed specification for the system would be developed, likely as a visualization feature of the new price database that is currently being defined. The directionality and color of the arrows in the current Price Watch Annex are defined as follows: red arrows indicate a greater than five percent increase in prices over the time period, blue arrows indicate a between a five percent increase and a five percent decrease in prices over the period, and green arrows indicate a greater than a five percent decrease in prices over the time period. The proposed display would allow for a more flexible and user-friendly way to visualize market price data, enabling FEWSNET analysts to better understand patterns of price movement and make more informed decisions.