Karthika Namboothiri


Hello! I’m a data and graphics journalist based in New York City. My bylines have appeared in Reuters, Newsday, The San Diego Union-Tribune, L.A. Times, The Counter, the Times of India and many other publications. I am also the author of Murky Spaces, a monthly geospatial analysis blog."

Locating Long Island's most dangerous roads

Newsday

Built an interactive map identifying the most dangerous roads on Long Island, color-coded to indicate fatalities and serious injuries. The map was built as part of Newsday’s year-long Dangerous Roads series. This map was the among the top stories of the year in user metrics.

Tags: demographics, spatial analysis, interactive graphic
Locating Long Island's most dangerous roads Locating Long Island's most dangerous roads

How winning local candidates fared against Trump/Harris

Newsday

Post-election analysis of local candidates’ results in State Assembly, State Senate and Congressional districts against presidential candidates within the same district. Analysis done on data obtained by Newsday for Nassau and Suffolk counties using Python and Excel. Graphics built on Datawrapper.

Tags: elections, demographics, Python, Excel
How winning local candidates fared against Trump/Harris How winning local candidates fared against Trump/Harris

Explainer: Where rising sea levels will hit most

Newsday

Led the data analysis and graphics package for nextLI’s Saving our Shores series, building a scrolly that locates the neighborhoods expected to be worst hit by rising sea levels.

Tags: environment, interactive graphic
Explainer: Where rising sea levels will hit most Explainer: Where rising sea levels will hit most

Will Southern California embrace logging of its ‘sky island’ forests?

Newsday

Analysis of two decades of forest activity data showed that the U.S. Forest Service on average completed only 40 percent of targets required for wildfire mitigation in the Southern Californian region. Spatial analysis done using QGIS anf Python. Graphics made using Adobe Illustrator.

Tags: environment
Will Southern California embrace logging of its ‘sky island’ forests?

Tree cover analysis using satellite data for Long Island

Newsday

A detailed analysis of tree cover of the U.S. Geological Survey’s satellite data for every census tract on Long Island. Methodology involved use of zonal statistics and analysis shows that tree cover is disproportionately spread across Long Island. Story first published on my personal website before being published on Newsday. Graphics built using QGIS, Carto and Adobe Illustrator.

Tags: environment, spatial analysis, QGIS, Adobe Illustrator
Tree cover analysis using satellite data for Long Island Tree cover analysis using satellite data for Long Island