Visualisation: https://www.amitjena.com/All-Railway-Stations/

My journey of visualising the Indian Railway network began with a fascination for trains and evolved into an extensive project that took me across the vast Indian subcontinent, both virtually and through data. I delved into various sources, including government websites and archives, to compile a comprehensive list of 8,495 railway stations. The data collection, which took about two months, was meticulous, and I even filed an RTI to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information. However, I faced a significant challenge with geocoding; my initial attempts led to incorrect mappings, with stations placed in oceans or foreign lands. This setback taught me the importance of precise search terms in geocoding, leading to a more refined approach that finally yielded accurate coordinates within India.

I chose Mapbox Studio for visualisation, opting for a blank map style to start with a clean canvas. This decision, however, lacked context for the users, prompting me to integrate Mapbox's Streets and Satellite Streets styles for more detailed geographical information. Despite the improvements, I encountered technical hurdles with the search feature, primarily due to formatting issues in the station name data.

Reflecting on the process, I realise the importance of continuous user feedback and iterative design in creating effective visualisations. The road ahead involves crowdsourcing to refine the coordinates further and updating the railway station categorisation to reflect recent changes. My experience underscores the iterative nature of data visualisation, blending technical challenges with user-centric design to create a tool that's both informative and accessible.