Info-graphics created by Florence Nightingale: Visualizations for hospital reform.

Florence Nightingale is best known for establishing the nursing profession and advocating for hospital reform. What is not widely known is her pioneering work in data-visualization to help reduce war causalities.

Below is one of her info-graphics from the Crimean War, which documents the cause of death in war hospitals over the course of two years. The number of deaths from combat wounds are in red and the number of deaths from preventable disease are in light green. At the time, combat wounds were thought to be responsible for casualties, not preventable issues such as infections.

The diagram on the left displays the improved ratio after Nightingale called for improved sanitation, nutrition, and an increase in support staff. The diagram on right shows the larger ratio before changes were implemented. 

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Fast forward to today's real-time internet. Nightingale's format uses a familiar circle to represent time, similar to a clock face. This is an excellent form for a real-time display that shows the change which your organization aims to improve over time. It also layers the data set that the public believes is the cause of a situation with the data set that is more responsible. As your organization accomplishes its goals for change, the overall statics for the problem improve.