We've updated Place Forecast with comparison detail charts — interactive choropleth maps and cartograms — and rolled out filters across all domains.
A new way to see the spatial story
Every comparison page now has a Detail chart sitting below the Total chart you already know. Instead of reading lines and legends, you can see your data laid out geographically — colour-coded, sized, and animated through time.
](https://mcusercontent.com/cf04d870dbc651ecdf65e7e89/images/215ba6d0-ffe9-f9cf-ca70-61e0c7c0891f.png)
(Choropleth view of population comparison for the forecast of Whittlesea)
Three visualisation modes are available, each suited to different questions:
Choropleth — your actual small area boundaries, colour-coded by value. Best for seeing where things are happening on the map.
Dorling cartogram — circles sized by value, positioned roughly where the areas sit geographically. Removes the bias of large-but-sparse areas dominating the view.
Demers cartogram — squares instead of circles, same idea. Easier to compare when values are close together.
Switch between them using the toolbar icons in the bottom-right corner.
(Dorling cartogram for the forecast of Whitehorse on the left, and
Demers cartogram for the forecast of Whitehorse on the right)
Detail charts appear across all comparison pages — population, births, dwellings, etc. Seventeen pages in total.
More features on the comparison pages, such as linked charts, timeline animations, legend interactivity, and chart downloads, are covered in the Compare Small Areas guide.
Filters across all domains
The population filter was one of our most popular additions — users told us it transformed how they analysed their data. So we've rolled it out to every page across all domains. The filter now works across population, dwellings, and housing, and adapts to each page's data. On population pages, you can filter by sex, age group, and year. On the dwelling and housing pages, the filter provides options such as occupancy and dwelling structure (e.g., detached dwellings). On all pages, you can filter by years.
On comparison pages, you can also filter by small area — select specific small areas via an interactive map or toggle buttons to focus your comparison on just the areas you care about.
(Filter panel with a small area geographic filter showing a map for the forecast of Broken Hill)
More features on the filters like quick-select buttons, year range sliders, incompatible filter locking, and domain-specific filter panels, are covered in the Filter guide.
Want to see it in action? Reply to this email to book a walkthrough.
Last Sunday was International Women's Day. Here's one deliberate design choice we made in Place Forecast.
Since the start of Place Info in 2023, in our population breakdowns, we list Female before Male — in the filter, in data tables, in exports. Most people won't consciously register it. But defaults matter.
Bias often hides in systems and data. Not through intent, but through established practices. In the order categories appear. In what gets measured, defined, or omitted. In what is treated as the norm.
Design decisions quietly shape what gets seen. And what doesn't.
Andrew and Bernd from Place Info
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