The 5-Minute Interview: Mar Cabra, Editor at the ICIJ

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) used Neo4j, a graph database management system, to analyze and visualize the Panama Papers dataset. The data included offshore companies and tax havens in various countries, which were created by a Panamanian law firm called Mossack Fonseca. ICIJ used Linkurious, a software tool built on top of Neo4j, to explore and visualize the data in graph format. This allowed reporters to discover connections between individuals and companies, revealing complex networks of offshore companies and tax havens. The investigation involved 400 journalists from around 80 countries working together to analyze and report on the data. ICIJ's use of Neo4j and Linkurious enabled them to efficiently handle large amounts of data, including 11.5 million documents, and facilitated collaboration among reporters across different time zones. The project showcased the potential of graph databases in facilitating complex data analysis and visualization, and highlighted the importance of data-driven journalism in uncovering hidden stories and connections.