Use Cases & Examples

TimeTiles excels at transforming complex geospatial datasets into accessible, interactive chronicles. Here are real-world scenarios where TimeTiles provides unique value.

Investigative Journalism

Police Accountability

Scenario: Document and analyze patterns in police use of force across multiple years and jurisdictions.

Data Sources:

• Police incident reports (CSV exports)
• Court records with location data
• Victim demographic information

TimeTiles Approach:

• Import incident data with victim demographics, officer information, and outcome details
• Enable public filtering by victim race, age, weapon status, and time of day
• Reveal geographic clustering and temporal patterns that might indicate systemic issues
• Allow readers to explore the data without overwhelming them with statistics

Impact: Readers can discover patterns themselves rather than being told what to think, increasing engagement and understanding.

Environmental Investigations

Scenario: Track industrial accidents, spills, or permit violations across time to identify regulatory patterns.

Data Sources:

• EPA violation databases
• Corporate permit records
• News reports with geocoded locations
• Community health data

TimeTiles Approach:

• Combine regulatory data with community demographics
• Show correlation between industrial activity and health outcomes
• Enable filtering by company, violation type, and demographic factors
• Present complex environmental justice issues in an accessible format

Academic Research

Conflict Documentation

Scenario: Document human rights violations during conflicts for academic study and legal proceedings.

Data Sources:

• Witness testimony with location references
• Satellite imagery analysis results
• Open source intelligence (OSINT) data
• Medical records and casualty reports

TimeTiles Approach:

• Create detailed chronicles of specific conflicts or incidents
• Include victim information, perpetrator data, and evidence links
• Enable temporal filtering to show escalation patterns
• Maintain detailed metadata for legal documentation while presenting accessible public interface

Urban Studies

Scenario: Analyze gentrification patterns by tracking business closures, rent increases, and demographic changes.

Data Sources:

• Business license databases
• Real estate transaction records
• Census demographic data
• Community survey responses

TimeTiles Approach:

• Import multi-year datasets showing neighborhood changes
• Correlate business data with demographic shifts
• Enable exploration of specific time periods and geographic areas
• Present research findings in a format accessible to community stakeholders

Activism & Advocacy

Community Organizing

Scenario: Document landlord negligence across multiple properties to support tenant organizing efforts.

Data Sources:

• Building violation records
• Tenant complaint databases
• Property ownership records
• Health department citations

TimeTiles Approach:

• Map violations by property owner across entire city
• Show patterns of negligence by landlord and neighborhood
• Enable filtering by violation type and severity
• Create compelling evidence for policy advocacy

Human Rights Documentation

Scenario: Track and document systematic persecution or discrimination for international advocacy.

Data Sources:

• Incident reports from affected communities
• Government document leaks
• Witness testimony with location data
• Medical or legal documentation

TimeTiles Approach:

• Create secure, private chronicles for sensitive documentation
• Enable detailed metadata for legal proceedings
• Support both public advocacy and confidential research
• Maintain detailed provenance and verification information

NGO & Non-Profit Work

Disaster Response

Scenario: Track disaster impacts and recovery efforts to inform resource allocation and future preparedness.

Data Sources:

• Damage assessment surveys
• Insurance claim data
• Government response records
• Community needs assessments

TimeTiles Approach:

• Combine immediate impact data with long-term recovery information
• Show disparities in response and recovery across communities
• Enable filtering by damage type, assistance received, and demographic factors
• Support both public transparency and internal operational planning

Public Health

Scenario: Document disease outbreaks or health disparities to inform policy and resource allocation.

Data Sources:

• Epidemiological surveillance data
• Healthcare facility records
• Environmental monitoring data
• Social determinant indicators

TimeTiles Approach:

• Create interactive chronicles showing disease patterns over time
• Correlate health outcomes with environmental and social factors
• Enable exploration by demographic groups and geographic areas
• Present complex public health data in accessible format for community education

Data Characteristics That Work Well

Ideal Dataset Properties

• 10-100,000+ events: TimeTiles handles large datasets efficiently through server-side clustering
• Rich metadata: 5-20 attributes per event for meaningful filtering and exploration
• Geographic precision: Coordinates or geocodable addresses for accurate mapping
• Temporal range: Datasets spanning months to years show the most interesting patterns
• Categorical variables: Demographics, types, statuses that enable meaningful filtering

Common Data Transformations

TimeTiles can work with messy real-world data by:

• Geocoding addresses when only text locations are available
• Parsing timestamps from various formats
• Detecting categorical variables for automatic filter generation
• Handling missing data gracefully without breaking visualizations
• Clustering nearby events for performance with dense datasets

Implementation Patterns

Public Chronicles

• Open data: Make publicly available with full filtering capabilities
• Storytelling focus: Guide readers through key findings with narrative elements
• Accessibility: Ensure non-experts can understand and explore the data
• Verification: Include data sources and methodology information

Research Instances

• Access control: Restrict viewing to authorized researchers
• Detailed metadata: Include all available information for thorough analysis
• Multiple datasets: Combine related datasets for comprehensive analysis
• Export capabilities: Support further analysis in other tools

Advocacy Tools

• Compelling presentation: Focus on visual impact and clear patterns
• Specific messaging: Configure to highlight particular findings or arguments
• Public engagement: Enable easy sharing and exploration by target audiences
• Evidence documentation: Maintain detailed records for policy or legal use

Getting Started with Your Use Case

1. Identify your story: What patterns or insights do you want to reveal?
2. Assess your data: Do you have location, time, and meaningful metadata?
3. Define your audience: Who needs to understand this information?
4. Choose your approach: Public chronicle, research tool, or advocacy platform?

Ready to start building? Check out our Data Import Guide to get your data into TimeTiles, or explore our Quick Start for a hands-on introduction.