The true essence of technological advances comes with our understanding of the surroundings, getting better with the aid of tools that never existed before. As analytics continues to evolve at a blistering pace, it brings with it the ability to take decisions that affects the lives of millions around us. Out of seeming nothingness we get concrete patterns that could only have been imagined few decades back.
As interesting scenarios continue to emerge in a changing superfluous landscape, the veil is lifted gradually as we intensely dig deeper using instruments ready to redefine our future. Our profound ignorance often becomes bluntly evident as we start to passionately navigate the curves of the charts, allowing us to gradually achieve a level of awareness at which we learn to be amused rather than shocked. The below graphical representation using Tableau of Coronavirus statistics of India depicts statistics of confirmed cases, cured cases and death cases across all the states as of Aug 22nd 2020. It’s strikingly concerning when clicking through the percentages of health stats, we find some states which seemingly have low confirmed cases are not doing too well in overall death percentage. Or states that appear dangerously higher up in rankings of confirmed cases are often actually doing comparatively well considering their cured percentages. The below analytics can be best viewed on a larger screen display.
As we traverse one of the most uncertain times in our history to a new future where things may never allow us to be the same, informed decision-making in the age of data analytics can go a long way to help see the unseen often right infront of us. Correlation, causality, related dimensions that otherwise would be difficult to interpret easily surfaces up when seen from the right context.
In the eastern part of the 2ndmost populous country of the world in India, lies the diverse state of West Bengal with a population of nearly 100 million and land area of 34,267 mi². To put that into perspective, that translates to nearly ¼ of the US population in an area that is ¹⁄₁₁₀ the size of US land area, a population density of 28 times more. Upholding the safety protocols at this juncture will need prolific planning and execution, as we all try to overcome the Coronavirus pandemic together.
The below schematics has been created using data from Wikipedia which currently holds active cases counts as of mid-June 2020. The intensity of colors represent amount of active cases in comparison to other districts, almost always proportionate with the population in the respective district. The population figures pertain to Census 2011 however would provide a rough comparative summary of the districts. Deselecting the toppers from the District dropdown below starts to reveal more distinguishable comparative shades of the districts.
A geomap creation with overlaying useful dimensions helps strengthen the visualization. It took some digging around and fine-tuning as there wasn't a readily available dataset with accurate latitudes and longitudes to plot the required districts. Now along with the headquarters of each district and the containment zone coloring as of June data, we have an enhanced visibility of the current scenario.
The charts above are best viewed in a bigger screen area. For the latest figures, we can find them in these curated sites for West Bengal and India.
During my recent visit to Death Valley National Park, it was a breathtaking experience to absorb the variety of trails and landscapes it offers in just a few miles apart from each other. Starting from sand dunes to canyons to basins to trails, and adding to it the changing ambience at different times of the day and at different altitudes - it's a must for nature lovers.
Some intensive research and study went into planning the trip and reading through the guides to make sure we can make the most of the trip. Here's a detailed hiking guide for Death Valley. Some statistics may vary across the different websites of National Park Service and social sites like AllTrails based on route taken. The details here are focussed on NPS data.
Current Weather - A beautiful day can suddenly surprise us in this unpredictable landscape, hence a good study of the weather forecast is an essential ingredient for planning. The last thing we want is to get stuck in snow, closed roads, hailstorms or rains in the middle of the memorable moments of our life. Here's the current weather right now.
Trailheads - The starting points of the trails are shown below, click on the expand bar on the left top below to see the names of each.
Easy Hikes - The hikes are termed easy when the distances are very few miles and accompanied by almost negligible elevation gain and thus suitable for everyone.
A) HARMONY BORAX WORKS - This is located near a historic mining site where the mule wagons started their famous journey. This is around 0.4 mile round trip and has an elevation gain of less than 50 feet.
B) SALT CREEK INTERPRETIVE TRAIL - The Salt Creek Interpretive Trail is one of the short yet most well-known trails of Death Valley and home to some rare fishes. This is also around 0.5 mile round trip and has nearly zero elevation shift.
C) BADWATER SALT FLAT - The Badwater Salt Flat at Death Valley is one of the largest in the world and the lowest point in North America. At many places the salt forms a thin crust over mud so tricky to stray away from known paths. The salt flat forms amazing patterns with accumulated salt crystals and constantly changing temperatures. This is around 1 mile round trip and has nearly zero elevation shift.
D) NATURAL BRIDGE CANYON - The Natural Bridge Canyon is a trip into exquisite views inside a canyon and gifts us a marvellous naturally formed picturesque bridge. This is around 1 mile round trip and has 180 feet elevation gain.
E) MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES - With a plethora of views at different times of the day casting immersive shadows, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes truly are a gem in this vast valley. This is around 2 miles round trip and has around 185 feet elevation gain.
Moderate Hikes - The hikes are termed moderate when the distance and landscape elevation gain combined often requires us to stay in moderately good shape or otherwise might need rests and breaks to catch our breath a few times. Hence choosing the hike category is always a wise decision before we embark.
F) UBEHEBE CRATER RIM - This is a hike around the rim of a deep volcano. Going a little further around the loop we can see the Uberhebe Crater in all it's glory. This is around 1.5 miles round trip and has an elevation gain of 500 feet.
G) DARWIN FALLS - The Darwin Falls is drinking water! It's a desert waterfall and the path maybe slightly rocky but it's a nice trip and back. A SUV or similar vehicle is prefered on this route. This is also around 2 miles round trip and has 450 feet elevation gain.
H) BADLANDS LOOP / GOLDEN CANYON / ZABRISKIE POINT - The trailheads start at Golden Canyon and Zabriskie Point. These are hikes through pretty colorful canyons carved across colorful rocks. The recommended route is starting at either of these points and looping back through Gower Gulch. This is around 2.7-5 miles round trip and has 535 feet elevation gain.
I) DESOLATION CANYON - A beautiful trip through the colorful rocks of the canyons provide cherishable moments to capture. This is 3.6 miles round trip and has 600 feet elevation gain.
J) SIDEWINDER CANYON - With a twisted formation of rocks and passages, an exciting hike awaits everyone in this canyon. This is around 5 miles round trip and has a 1,580 feet elevation gain.
K) FALL CANYON - If the rock formations weren't enough, look for the steepness in this canyon and if you're lucky, a glimpse of bighorn sheep might prop up out of nowhere. This is around 6 miles round trip and has 2,460 feet elevation gain.
L) DANTES RIDGE - A miraculous view as far as the eye can go, Dante's View point is one of the main attractions in Death Valley National Park. The best art is there is unobstructed view of the entire landscape. This is 8 miles round trip and has a 1,200 feet elevation gain.
M) PANAMINT DUNES - The exquisite dunes are best watched during sunrise or sunset when the shadows mark their shapes prominently. This is 7 miles round trip and has near 1,028 feet elevation gain.
Difficult Hikes - The hikes are termed difficult when the distances and elevation gains combined requires us to stay in excellent shape or else is advisable to avoid the risk. Choosing a difficult hike is recommended only with full preparation of atleast 3 litres of water per person, and after knowledge of the current road and weather conditions.
N) MOSAIC CANYON - Colorful polished rocks mark the specialty of this canyon over narrow passages and bends. This is 4 miles round trip and has an elevation gain of 1,200 feet.
O) WILDROSE PEAK - A hike through the woodlands offers amazing views every now and then. The rocks and gravel are similar to the other hikes. Due to the elevation gain snow can be expected at times. This is about 8.4 miles round trip and has 2,200 feet elevation gain.
P) TELESCOPE PEAK - If the road is not closed due to winter conditions, highly recommended is to answer the call of the highest peak in Death Valley. All the prerequisites of attempting a difficult trail applies strictly here. This is around 14 miles round trip and has 3,000 feet elevation gain.
Rahul is an avid Software Programmer experienced in software development, coding and system designing. He is skilled in Data Warehousing, Oracle Data Integrator, Hyperion Data Relationship Management, PLSQL and Informatica PowerCenter. With years of experience in key positions in successful projects over USA, UK, EMEA and APAC, he is always looking forward to adapt to the ever-evolving world of technology and how the Yottabytes of data can be tamed.
