How To Use Visualizing Peace

With Visualizing Peace, you can view peace agreements across three dimensions: time, geography, and category. At the top of the webpage, Agreements in Time and Space visualizes agreements on a timeline and a map simultaneously. At the bottom of the webpage, Agreement Sequence Comparison visualizes agreements on three timelines, with one geographic location represented on each timeline. To understand the codes assigned to each peace agreement as represented in the data visualizations, please visit Understanding PA-X Codes. To download the complete PA-X Codebook, please click here.

When visiting the Visualizing Peace website, please use Firefox, Chrome, or Safari from a laptop or desktop computer (the data visualizations are incompatible with tablets and mobile devices).

Reading and Filtering Agreements in Time and Space

On the timeline running horizontally across the top of the webpage, black lines represent peace agreements. You can select a start year, an end year, locations ("countries/entities"), and categories ("codes") to control which peace agreements the timeline and map display. On the map, flower-like graphics represent peace agreements, with petals indicating how much detail the agreement contains about codes in the left sidebar. The larger the petal, the more detail the agreement has about the code associated with that petal's color. The absence of a petal means the agreement does not address the associated code at all.

There are four timeline views that arrange the peace agreements differently:

  1. (1) Chronology arranges peace agreements by the date on which they were signed. If there are multiple agreements signed on the same day, then the height of the lines representing agreements will shrink so the lines can be stacked on top of one another. Hovering or clicking a line displays the represented agreement's details in the left sidebar. When you click an agreement, the corresponding agreement on the map (represented as a flower-like graphic) grows in size.
  2. (2) Count per Day also arranges peace agreements by the date on which they were signed. Unlike the Chronology view, though, each line in Count per Day represents the total number of agreements signed on that day (so this view can be read as a bar chart). Hovering over a line displays a tooltip with the total number and date.
  3. (3) Yearly with Counts arranges peace agreements by the year in which they were signed. The agreements are stacked chronologically from top to bottom (e.g. January at the top, December at the bottom). The number at the top of each yearly stack indicates the total number of agreements signed in that year. Hovering or clicking a line displays the represented agreement's details in the left sidebar. When you click an agreement, the corresponding agreement on the map (represented as a flower-like graphic) grows in size.
  4. (4) Yearly with Code Proportions also arranges peace agreements by the year in which they were signed, stacking the agreements chronologically from top to bottom. Agreements that address codes you've selected in the left sidebar will appear as black lines (other agreements will appear as dark gray lines). The percentage at the top of each yearly stack indicates the proportion of agreements that address your code selections for that year. Hovering or clicking a black line displays the represented agreement's details in the left sidebar. When you click an agreement, the corresponding agreement on the map (represented as a flower-like graphic) grows in size.

Reading and Filtering Agreement Sequence Comparison

On the timelines running vertically at the bottom of the webpage, rectangles represent peace agreements. You can select one location ("countries/entities") for each vertical timeline, and categories ("codes") to control which peace agreements the timeline and map display. The color of each rectangle indicates the type of agreement (based on the stage of the associated conflict) represented. Hovering or clicking a rectangle displays the represented agreement's details in the left sidebar. When you click an agreement on one vertical timeline, any rectangles representing that same agreement on the other other vertical timelines will be highlighted.