Analysing schools with Motion Chart

Welcome to an unusual website. The aim of this website is to give european schools and school authorities an opportunity to analyse existing data in  a new way.

In the never-ending process of making european schools better and better, each country performs various types of recurrent evaluations of school activities on a local, regional and national level. Over time, large amounts of statistical data have been collected in the schools' data banks. But with large amounts of data, often spread over several years, come the problems of using it in such a way that it can be easily understood, or even using it at all in a way that truly makes the most of the potential of the raw data.

Two Swedish municipalities; Stockholm City and Sandviken Municipality, had the idea of using Swedish researcher Hans Rosling's ”Motion Chart” (read more on www.gapminder.org). They tried to use the Google gadget Motion Chart, but soon found that it was difficult to find a simple way of working with the software. They therefore contacted us at Artisan Global Media, a software company with more than 20 years experience in developing user-friendly applications. Upon their request we created the School Analysis Tool which has a simpler interface and is thus easier to work in than the Google gadget.

Our aim has been to create a fast and uncomplicated enterprise portal for working with Motion Chart, and further down the road perhaps other types of diagrams too. The project uses the free service for creating Motion Charts provided by Google.

The web application lets you upload data using ordinary Excel files that have been arranged in a predetermined way (read more about this in the manual). Then just select which variables you wish to use for you diagram, click Create new diagram, and your new Motion Chart diagram will appear on the screen! It is possible to create numerous diagrams as well as finished slideshows for presentations. Each diagram receives its own URL, making it possible for you to add a link to it on your website.

The application's primary aim is to create Motion Charts but a number of other types of diagrams are also available for selection.

The development of this program has been financed by Stockholm City and Sandviken Municipality. Artisan Global Media sponsors the project by providing free hosting for the application which is free to be used by schools and school authorities in all of Europe.