Sara Eichner

about

I am a cartographer, graphic designer and visual artist. I am interested in making sense of complex data. I want to tell a story with it and communicate the patterns discovered in the process of analyzing data geographically. It's important to me that I don't lose sight of the texture and complexities of the urban geography and communities behind the data. 

I have experience in print design and visual arts. Over many years working in publishing I've created marketing materials and book designs for a higher education publishing house and a children's book publisher. I've simultaneously maintained a career as a visual artist, exhibiting regularly in New York City and around the country. 

 

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I am a cartographer, designer, teacher and visual artist.

I like to work in the space between raw data and the stories to be found in it. I use tools such as QGIS, ArcMap, SQL, Python and design software to explore and find patterns in the data that I reshape into accessible and clear visualizations. I work collaboratively and on my own to build interactive maps and larger sites with a focus on geospatial data visualization. To communicate full stories, I employ a user-centered design process that includes visual research, user testing, competitive analysis, prototyping, wireframes and development of comprehensive design systems to be utilized in print and online.

I have a background in visual arts that I bring to this work and to my roll as an organizer of the Data Through Design exhibition. This annual event is held during New York City’s Open Data Week and showcases art using open data. I also teach GIS, Data and Design at Pratt Institute in the School of Information and in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Recent news: The Hudson Access Project, funded by a DEC River Access Grant has been launched in beta form. See it here: Hudson Access Project. We (Sara Hodges and I) have also been awarded a Taconic Fellowship from Pratt Center! This additional funding does a great deal to support continued data collection, revisions to the website and to begin using the public access dataset we’ve made for research into equitable water access in the region.

The Data through Design 2024 call for proposals is out! The theme is Aftermath and we hope lots of people will submit ideas and proposals for the March, 2024 exhibition. The details are here: https://datathroughdesign.com/

2022: Working with Can Sucuoglu at Pratt SAVI, we have been awarded $43,000 as a part of the River Access program from the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to conduct a study of public access to the Hudson Estuary. We will create a centralized, up-to-date database and a public-facing interactive tool about the sites, programs and activities in Hudson Estuary waters south of the Mario Cuomo Bridge. The database along with 2020 Census data will form the basis for exploration of equitable access to be published as an environmental justice report. The NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program will work with us and provide support for the project.

Other recent projects include exploratory design work for the Flood Watch project in New York City, GIS and design for the NYC Department of Transit, and multiple projects for the The Hudson River Foundation and the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program, NY State Department of Conservation, and the Washington Area Bicycle Association.

CV available upon request.

email: eichnersara at gmail dot com