Project Files & Links
About the Project
This project visualizes 40 years of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) aviation investigation data spanning from 1985 through 2024. The infographic examines global investigation patterns, injury severity trends, operational context, and aircraft involvement using a combination of cartographic and statistical visualization techniques.
The project was developed as part of the GIS: Cartography and Geovisualization program at the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), NSCC, and focuses on communicating complex aviation safety data through a clear visual hierarchy and integrated infographic design.
The infographic combines multiple forms of visualization, including a contiguous cartogram, temporal line charts, categorical summaries, and proportional graphics, to communicate both long-term trends and operational patterns within the NTSB investigation dataset.
A major focus of the project involved balancing dense statistical information with readability and visual clarity. Particular attention was given to typography, spacing, hierarchy, and layout structure to ensure the infographic remained interpretable despite the large quantity of information presented on a single poster.
The visualization highlights several key findings, including the long-term decline in aviation investigations over time, the predominance of private aviation investigations relative to commercial aviation, and the significant geographic concentration of investigations occurring within the United States.
The project also explores how cartographic distortion techniques, such as contiguous cartograms, can be used to emphasize statistical dominance over physical geography, reinforcing the disproportionate concentration of NTSB investigations occurring within the United States.
Findings
Over the past four decades, the total number of NTSB aviation investigations has declined substantially, with the highest totals occurring in the mid-1980s and progressively lower counts in later decades—indicating long-term improvements in aviation safety outcomes. Private aircraft account for approximately 84% of all NTSB aviation investigations, while commercial operations account for about 10%, with the remaining 6% involving military, public, or otherwise unclassified operations. When examined by purpose of flight, personal aviation represents the largest category at 51.2% of investigations, followed by unknown operations (15.9%), instructional flights (12.8%), other specialized operations (9.0%), aerial application flights (6.1%), and business aviation (4.9%). Although commercial aviation accidents represent only a minority of NTSB cases, they tend to dominate public attention due to high passenger capacities, international reach, and extensive media coverage, contributing to the perception that commercial aviation incidents are more frequent than reflected in the overall investigation record.
Technology Stack
- ArcGIS Pro
- Adobe Illustrator
- Microsoft Excel
Applied Skills
- Processed and visualized large-scale aviation investigation datasets spanning multiple decades.
- Designed an infographic layout integrating charts, statistical graphics, and cartographic visualizations.
- Created a contiguous cartogram to visualize global distributions of NTSB investigations.
- Applied visual hierarchy and typography principles to communicate complex aviation safety trends.
- Analyzed long-term trends in aviation investigations, injury severity, and operational context.