Tracking Bird Migration Through Data Visualization
The "Power BI and Data Analytics for Enviros" meetup group is all about sharing tips, tricks and hacks for analysing, visualising and communicating environmental data. The purpose of this blog is to summarise the key take-aways from the sessions, to help with sharing knowledge, empowering others and creating a strong data culture across our community.
March 2026: Session summary
This session guided attendees through the journey of turning raw migration data into an engaging, easy-to-understand Power BI report designed with end users in mind, using a bird migration dataset. From the first look at the dataset to the final interactive experience, Lakshmi’s focus was on clarity, thoughtful design, and practical usability for environment professionals. She showcased the final report, the design decisions behind each visual, and explained how accessibility was considered throughout the process. She also reflected on what she would improve if the report was re-built today, and shared a few practical tips and tricks that others can apply to their own analytics projects.
You will see how visual choices shape understanding, how accessibility strengthens data communication, and how small design decisions can make complex environmental information easier to interpret and act on.
Report: https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Contests-Gallery/May-2025-Santhana-Lakshmi-P-The-Science-of-Bird-Migration/td-p/4699214
Dataset: https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/sahirmaharajj/bird-migration-dataset-data-visualization-eda/data?select=Bird_Migration_Data_with_Origin.csv
A few of the screenshots from the session and Lakshmi’s tips for effective report design are shown below:
The full recording is available through the YouTube link below.
March 2026: Guest Speaker: Lakshmi Ponnurasan
Lakshmi is a Microsoft MVP (Data Platform) and a Certified Power BI Data Analyst, currently working in the Institutional Effectiveness department at Missouri University of Science and Technology. She is passionate about creating creative and innovative Power BI reports that not only make data pop but also provide actionable insights. She was a Finalist in the Microsoft Power BI DataViz World Championships 2025, showcasing her ability to combine technical expertise with storytelling. An engaging speaker, she frequently speaks about all things Power BI at user groups and conferences, and also shares tips and best practices on her Medium blog.
Sign up now for the meetup here: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/powerbi4enviros - and if you have ideas for a future session then please let us know at info@discoverei.com .
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