CARTO > Case Studies > Visualizing Linguistic Big Data for Deeper Insights

Visualizing Linguistic Big Data for Deeper Insights

Company Size

1,000+

Country

Worldwide

Product

CARTO

Tech Stack

Digital Mapping Platform

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Brand Awareness
Customer Satisfaction
Digital Expertise

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Visualization

Applicable Industries

Education
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Visual Quality Detection

Services

Data Science Services

About The Customer

SIL International is a faith-based nonprofit that was founded in 1934. It has grown from a small linguistic training program into a global operation, with over 4,000 staff, working on over 1,600 projects worldwide. A recognized leader in the fields of linguistics and language preservation, SIL International works with local communities to address language-related challenges. SIL’s work contributes to the protection of the one-third of global languages that are at risk of disappearing. This is apparent in the Ethnologue, their authoritative resource on the world’s 7,117 living languages. The first edition of the Ethnologue was published in 1951, and at ten pages in length, included information on 46 languages. The first hand-drawn maps were included in the project’s 4th edition. 72 years later, in 2013, Ethnologue transitioned to a digital-first publication, releasing new Editions online first, with printed books coming later.

The Challenge

SIL International and Ethnologue are adapting to a global landscape that is adopting new technologies and growing more interconnected by the day. As Ethnologue looks to be a more powerful resource across sectors, they need to keep pace with rapid technology growth and the need for more dynamic language intelligence. Given the spatial nature of language, where it is spoken and how it either shrinks or proliferates, the ability to visualize these 7,117 living languages was paramount to the educational component of Ethnologue’s mission. Historically, they had been using more static maps as a resource, which is natural given their literary roots. They would subsequently publish the maps online. And while this is certainly useful, especially at the more granular country level, it doesn’t provide a complete and living resource on where languages are spoken EXACTLY. It also lacks a level of interactivity which helps the project to transcend to the goal of language intelligence.

The Solution

SIL International sought to build out a solution to display this data visually. Given the work done by their extensive field research team, they were confident that if they had a powerful digital solution that supported polygon data, they could map 7,000 languages, showing exactly where they are spoken. They leveraged a digital mapping platform to visualize their language data, which has seen increased interest in these kinds of maps. Recognizing the instant value that comes from having this data in an interactive and intuitive solution, many of their customers have identified this dynamic visualization as critical to their goals. In this way, digitally mapping their data is providing new, critical insights to their clients, improving Ethnologue’s offerings. Their customers leverage these tools in multiple ways, including advocacy initiatives, academic linguistic research, and business applications.

Operational Impact

Increased interest in the digital maps.
Customers have identified the dynamic visualization as critical to their goals.
Providing new, critical insights to their clients, improving Ethnologue’s offerings.
The digital maps are being used in advocacy initiatives, academic linguistic research, and business applications.