Akuko - Unleashing the Power of Interactive Data Storytelling

by Matt Berg

When it comes to understanding data, context is everything. Conventional data analysis tools often fall short, delivering static, disjointed views that fail to capture the rich narrative within data. In February 2020, while working on a project with UNICEF in Nigeria, we recognized the need for a more intuitive, engaging, and integrated data analysis tool - thus Akuko was born.

The Akuko Concept

Akuko, an Igbo word meaning 'story,' embodies our goal of helping users explore, understand, and tell the stories hidden within their data. Akuko is a versatile data storytelling tool that seamlessly blends text, charts, tables, maps, and more to create an interactive notebook-style context - what we refer to as a 'Post'.

In the near future, we plan to introduce a map-centric view, providing users with an even more immersive and intuitive way to analyze geospatial data without requiring any coding skills.

Interactive, Synchronized Components

One of Akuko's standout features is its capacity for interactivity and synchronization across all components. Whether you're working with a chart, table, or map, you can adjust one element and simultaneously observe the changes across all others. This means that as you filter or modify a map, your associated tables and charts will automatically reflect the corresponding changes, thereby maintaining coherence and delivering a richer analytical experience.

Posts and Sources

Akuko operates on two basic entities: Posts and Sources. Posts, as mentioned earlier, are where you weave your data story - combining, configuring, and interacting with different components. Sources, on the other hand, are the connections to your data.

As of now, Akuko supports a variety of data sources including Google Sheets, CSV, GeoJSON, and PostgreSQL. We understand the importance of versatility in data sourcing and are working on adding more options in the near future.

Final Thoughts

Akuko aims to democratize data storytelling, making it accessible, engaging, and insightful. By leveraging Akuko, professionals across diverse domains can make sense of their data, uncover its inherent narratives, and use these insights to drive informed decisions.

We envision a future where everyone can effortlessly interact with their data, make insightful discoveries, and effectively communicate their findings. A future where data storytelling is not a technical hurdle, but a powerful catalyst for change.

Stay tuned for more posts where we delve deeper into the workings of Akuko, share stories of its applications, and talk about our exciting roadmap ahead.