Choosing election graphics software for broadcast comes down to seven things: how it ingests data, how it performs under real-time load, how interactive it is on air, how fast it deploys, how it performs on election night, how redundant it is, and what its cost model actually looks like.

Election night doesn't give broadcasters a second take. Whatever infrastructure is running when results start coming in is what the network is stuck with for the next several hours, while millions of viewers watch a control room work through it live.

Election night is the “Super Bowl” of news. It is high stakes, fast moving, and unfolding in real time.

A seat projection is an estimate of how many seats each party or candidate will win in a legislature, based on polling data or partial election results. It translates vote share, which is what polls and early counts measure, into seats, which is what decides who forms a government.

Telestration is the practice of drawing freehand over live or replayed video so viewers can see exactly what a presenter is talking about. An analyst circles a player, traces a storm's path, or highlights a county on an election map, and the marks appear on screen in real time. The device or software used to do it is called a telestrator.

The Magic Wall is a large interactive touchscreen that lets an on-air analyst explore live election results by touching, zooming, and drawing on a map. It debuted on CNN's 2008 election coverage with correspondent John King. Perceptive Pixel, the multi-touch company founded by Jeff Han, built the display hardware. InterKnowlogy built the election-visualization software that ran on it.

Data visualization is the practice of turning numbers into visual forms, such as charts, maps, and graphics, so people can understand patterns, comparisons, and changes at a glance. A table of 3,000 county results is hard to read. The same results shaded on a map show who is winning, and where, in seconds.

A storm hits Brisbane. The radar shows it thirty kilometers away from where it actually is. The meteorologist is live in ninety seconds and working off data that's already wrong.

In September, 7NEWS delivered its first live weather broadcast using IK Weather Insights — our weather visualization and broadcast platform purpose-built for the speed, precision, and editorial control today’s broadcast teams demand.

In weather broadcasting, timing isn’t just a technical detail, it’s a competitive edge. The window between receiving forecast data and going live is often narrow, and that gap has a direct impact on the accuracy, clarity, and confidence of the final show.

In an industry long overdue for disruption, iK's Weather Insights is revolutionizing how weather is broadcasted.

Nathaniel Counts, Chief Policy Officer at The Kennedy Forum, shares how the Mental Health Parity Index is helping turn transparency into action—giving stakeholders a clear, shared view of where mental health coverage gaps exist, what it takes to achieve parity, and how the Index can expand to drive change nationwide.

The Mental Health Parity Index is a clear example of what becomes possible when data, technology, and advocacy align. Launched in Illinois in May, it enables regulators, employers, providers, and insurers to identify where disparities exist in mental health and substance use disorder access and coverage, and where action is needed most.

Access and coverage for mental health and substance use care continue to lag behind physical health care — in network composition, reimbursement rates for providers, and costs to individuals. In Illinois alone, outpatient mental health services are reimbursed 27% less on average than outpatient physical health services.

It’s not often that the number of Electoral Votes available for a State for a US Presidential election changes. But what happens when these states suddenly find themselves with a different number of votes? Did they misplace some? Is there some black magic going on? Not quite! The story of fluctuating electoral votes basically comes down to people packing up their belongings and heading for greener pastures.

Imagine you're hosting a massive potluck dinner with all 50 states as guests. Most states are quite straightforward—they each bring one big pizza to share with everyone. But then there’s Nebraska and Maine, who like to mix things up.

Cyrus Doomasia has helped many of InterKnowlogy's clients, like 7News and SVT, cover important elections, including the upcoming 2024 US Presidential election. In this article, he answers the question: Why is swing state voting so important in US elections?

On May 21, 2022, TV Tonight published an article written by David Knox titled, “Demystifying Seven’s ‘Screen of Dreams.’ In this article, Cyrus Doomasia (Head of Delivery at InterKnowlogy) explained that Seven's ‘Screen of Dreams’ uses tech from the same developers (InterKnowlogy) behind CNN's ‘Magic Wall.’ While re-visiting this article, I became curious about the answers to a few possible follow-up questions. Luckily for me, Cyrus is a colleague of mine at InterKnowlogy and was kind enough to oblige me with the answers.

Throughout InterKnowlogy’s history, our broadcasting clients (like CNN, 7News, SVT) have used our Election Insights Product to cover elections in their respective countries. This article offers a high-level overview of the electoral processes in countries where we have extensive experience.

British Colombians, New Brunswickers and Saskatchewanians each vote within days of each other this October. Here’s a quick take on what things look like six months out:

Every five years, citizens across the EU's 27 member countries head to the polls to elect their representatives to the European Parliament. So why should the rest of the world pay attention to the EU Elections?

Last Thursday, President Joe Biden turned many heads in the punditry and seemingly made a not-unnoticeable breakthrough with Americans as he delivered a raucous State of the Union address. His third, and most memorable, as president.

The term “Super Tuesday” has existed since the 1970s—originally referring to the last big collection of primaries. Its modern usage was cemented in the 1980s, as many southern states moved their primaries earlier in the calendar to increase their influence in the process. Since then, as a rule, in both parties, a clear front-runner has emerged from Super Tuesday, often becoming the nominee.

About 50% of the world is participating in democratic elections this year. The United States, India, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Taiwan, and many others, make 2024: A BIG year for elections.

This short article is a beginner’s guide for users who have just started using ChatGPT, or some other Generative AI, but are finding that the responses are less than desirable. Reading this article is the first step towards getting better responses.

Take it from someone who’s lost to a third-party candidate—when people think times are messy, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

At midnight on January 23rd, all six residents of the unincorporated community 30kms from the Quebec border are expected in the living room of the Balsam Resort’s Tillotson House to cast their ballot. They are likely to be joined by hordes of media, and perhaps a candidate or two.

Since 1972, Iowa’s first-in-the-nation voting event has played an outsized role in presidential politics. However, the details of how the Iowa caucuses actual work have long mystified even hardcore political junkies…a former longtime CNN host included.

With just under two weeks to go until the opening Republican caucuses in Iowa—January 15th—political observers and pollsters are outload wondering if there is anything or anyone who can derail the MAGA (Make America Great Again) locomotive and its conductor, Donald Trump.

Yes, there’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge before all votes are counted on November 5th, 2024. But clearly Biden is significantly weaker now among those groups that were critical to his election in 2020. And, with a disapproval rating of just over 60%, perhaps Americans are signalling their desire for new leadership.

Democracy is messy at best. And in turbulent times, it is ever more important for media to provide clarity for audiences—voters—trying to make sense of what’s happening.

National poll numbers, while taking the pulse of the country, don’t offer the same arithmetic certainty as statewide data. And even then, localized data sets must be contextualized to factor in timing and preceding events.

With under a year to go until November 5th, 2024—with echoes reverberating from within the Democratic tent about Biden's fitness to stand for a second term—recent polls from six key battleground states have highlighted a big problem in his bid for reelection.

The waning ability to build consensus and maintain broad support is leading to greater vulnerability for people exposed to outbreaks, extreme climate, and those living in conflict-affected zones. iK Insights acknowledges and makes sense of the complexity involved operating in challenging and heavy-stakes environments for governments and organizations.

Matt DeCourcey, Head of Corporate Affairs at iK, reflects on his experience in public office on how the Canadian government was able to react decisively for the COVID-19 pandemic, and how we can better prepare for the next public health emergency.