Today, I gonna explain how to use a pivot table to conduct disaster research using dummy data.
What is a Pivot Table?
Imagine you have a big pile of data, and you want to see summaries or patterns quickly. A pivot table lets you rearrange (or “pivot”) that data to show different views, like totals, averages, or counts, without changing the original data.
Sample Disaster Research Dataset:
dummy dataset
Step-by-Step Pivot Table Analysis for Disaster Research
- Select Data & Insert Pivot Table
- Select all the data (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A)
- Go to “Insert” → “PivotTable” → “OK” (for a new worksheet or you can choose the location in the same sheet)
- Total Aid Provided by Disaster Type
The sum of Aid by Disaster Type
- Drag “Disaster Type” to the “Rows” box
- Drag “Aid Provided (USD)” to the “Values” box (automatically shows sum of aid)
- Interpretation: Quickly identify which disaster types received the most total aid
- Aid Provided by Organization
- Remove “Disaster Type” from rows and add “Organization” instead
- Keep “Aid Provided (USD)” in the “Values” box
- Interpretation: Visualize which organizations have contributed the most aid overall
- Aid Provided by Year
- Replace “Organization” with “Year” in the “Rows” box
- Keep “Aid Provided (USD)” in the “Values” box
- Interpretation: Track annual patterns in aid disbursement over time
- Aid Provided by Disaster Type and Year
- Add “Disaster Type” to the “Rows” box
- Place “Year” in the “Columns” box
- Keep “Aid Provided (USD)” in the “Values” box
- Interpretation: Create a cross-tabulation showing aid distribution across disaster types and years
- Average Aid Provided
- Click on “Sum of Aid Provided (USD)” in the “Values” box
- Select “Value Field Settings” → “Average” → “OK”
- Interpretation: Compare the average aid amounts across categories
- Filtering by Location
- Add “Location” to the “Filters” box
- Use the dropdown to select a specific location (e.g., Nepal)
- Interpretation: Focus your analysis on specific geographic regions
- Counting Disaster Occurrences
Sorted Table
- Remove “Aid Provided (USD)” from values
- Add “Disaster Type” to the values box
- Change the value field setting from sum to count
- Interpretation: Track the frequency of different disaster types in your dataset
Key Insights from Disaster Research Pivot Tables
- Aid Distribution Analysis: Identify which disaster types or locations receive the most financial support
- Organizational Impact Assessment: Understand which relief organizations are most active in different scenarios
- Temporal Trend Identification: Analyze how aid distribution patterns change over months, quarters, or years
- Comparative Regional Analysis: Compare aid efforts across different geographic areas and disaster contexts
By experimenting with different field combinations, you can uncover valuable insights from your disaster research data. Pivot tables transform complex datasets into actionable intelligence for disaster management, policy development, and resource allocation.
Content Gap Opportunities
- A section on advanced pivot table features specifically useful for disaster research
- Guidance on data visualization options after creating pivot tables
- Information on combining pivot tables with other analytical tools for comprehensive disaster analysis
- Tips for presenting pivot table findings to non-technical stakeholders