How to Extract Meaningful Insights from Data with Angelica Lo Duca
Following the previous talk, "Applying Cinematic Techniques to Data Storytelling" (5 March 2025), several questions emerged about the stage that precedes data storytelling. Participants expressed a strong interest in understanding how a relevant insight can be extracted from data before any narrative or visualization step takes place. Many books and presentations describe the nature and value of insights, yet few address the fundamental techniques for discovering them in real datasets.
This talk focuses on practical, accessible methods for guiding the transition from raw data to insights that inform decisions. The session presents clear analytical strategies, illustrates their rationale, and demonstrates how they can benefit researchers, engineers, and data professionals across domains.
The session includes:
- Temporal Analysis. Examination of patterns that develop through time, with attention to shifts, cycles, and discontinuities that reveal structural changes in the data.
- Zoom Analysis. Exploration of data through different levels of granularity to uncover trends that appear only when the scale changes.
- Multi-Category Comparison. Evaluation of similarities and differences across several groups, with techniques that help identify contrasts that matter to a given problem.
- Spatial Analysis. Interpretation of geographic or positional relationships that highlight clusters, distances, or configurations with analytical significance.
- Outlier Assessment. Detection and interpretation of irregular observations that may indicate errors, hidden mechanisms, or opportunities for discovery.
The talk aims to equip attendees with a practical toolkit for insight extraction and to clarify the analytical thinking that precedes data storytelling. It will serve as a foundation for future discussions on communication, visualization, and narrative design.
Angelica Lo Duca Bio
Angelica Lo Duca, PhD, is a researcher at the Institute of Informatics and Telematics of the National Research Council, Italy. She is also an adjunct professor of Data Journalism at the University of Pisa. She has published over 60 scientific papers at national and international conferences and journals. She is the author of the book Comet for Data Science (Packt Publishing Ltd, 2022), co-author of Learning and Operating Presto (O’Reilly Media, 2023), Data Storytelling with Altair and AI (Manning Publications, 2024), and Become a Great Data Storyteller (Wiley, 2025).