Illustrating UK inflation data in 3D

This is an example of how "walking through" data can make it more relevant to the target audience.

To start the visualisation, please hit the button below.

The visualisation uses game technology to render a house with many inflation elements showing their inflation rates per year according to the data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The source data can be found here.

We have used the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers' housing costs values taken from table 10 of the linked data. This provides a 15 year overview of changes in prices.

Please note: that this visualisation will not work on all devices. If using a mobile device, we advice that you are connected to a wifi network to reduce download fees.

Navigating the scene

You can either navigate through the inflation house scene using the keys on a keyboard plus a mouse to alter the point of view, or you can use the mobile controls.

If you are using your keyboard, the controls are:

• W or up arrow for forwards
• A or left arrow for left
• S or down arrow for backwards
• D or right arrow for right

To change the inflation year:

• Click or press on the slider to change year
• Press Q on your keyboard to decrease year
• Press E on your keyboard to increate year

Seeing more information

As you move though the scene the recticle (small white square in the middle of the viewport) will hover over items in the house and it will reveal the category that the item is classed as. You can also reveal this information by hovering the mouse pointer over and item of tapping an item if you are using a mobile device.

Work in progress

Please note that this is a demonstration of how data can be displayed in 3D to help users visualise and interpret data. It's there to help users tell their own stories.

There are bugs in the process. A known issue is moving the cursor around wildly the instant that the application has loaded. If you encounter an error, please try reloading the webpage.