What drives Noel Joe Basil to volunteer
Viz for Social Good Spotlight Series
Our first feature volunteer is Noel Joe Basil who is from Kerala, India — also known as “God’s Own Country”. If you aren’t familiar, Kerala is a state in South India blessed with natural beauty of green scenic landscapes, crystal clear beaches and ecological diversity.
Noel is an Electronics and Communication engineering graduate. He lives with his mother who is a teacher and his retired father.
When he isn’t in front of the screen playing video games or working with Tableau, Noel enjoys playing volleyball and football.
Noel was employed at Mu Sigma Business Solutions, Bangalore until August 2019 where he worked with clients to solve diverse analytical problems. He is currently on a break to spend more time with his family, before heading off to University of Edinburgh to pursue a Masters degree later this year.
How did you get involved in Viz for Social Good? Why do you continue to volunteer?
As soon as I decided to take a break from work, I started to look out for volunteering opportunities with non-profits that required a ‘Business Analyst’ skill set. The search led me to Viz For Social Good. I love that I can contribute to a different non-profit every month and found the diversity of causes interesting. In addition, the exposure to Tableau Zen Masters and inspiring members of the Tableau and VFSG volunteer community was very motivating.
What is your preferred Data Visualization tool?
I learned Tableau as part of a project requirement during my time in Mu Sigma and have been using it for about 2.5 years now. It wasn’t until I left my job that I started engaging with the Tableau community and understood exactly how powerful Tableau really was!
Why do you enjoy using Tableau so much?
I enjoy Tableau because of how easy it is to create powerful visualizations — it can be as simple as a drag and drop. I really love how open and friendly the community is.
What are some of the VFSG projects you are proud of?
To date, I have volunteered for 4 projects — Kiron, Guy’s & St.Thomas’ Charity, Osiris Organization and Sunny Street. I was over the moon when my first ever VFSG contribution was chosen by Kiron! It was insightful to learn how Kiron provides educational opportunities to refugees and the under-served communities. I am also proud that my visualization for the Osiris project was chosen by vizification.com as one of their top favourites the week of Feb 23, 2020.
What is your advice to anyone who wants to volunteer with Viz for Social Good?
Contribute to every project you can and don’t shy away just because you don’t have a local VFSG Chapter near you. You can engage with the VFSG community through the Slack channel — you can get your data questions answered and connect with fellow volunteers. You can even have your submissions reviewed by the community members before submitting the final version.
“There is always someone ready to help you! So keep doing social good.”
