✨ Add categorical map color palette by sophiamersmann · Pull Request #6121 · owid/owid-grapher

sophiamersmann · 2026-02-19T16:18:31Z

Resolves #5970

Improves colours for categorical maps

Adds a new color palette to Grapher, specifically designed for categorical maps (Figma)
Applies a migration that updates suboptimal colors in maps (Figma)
Adds map-optimized colors for regions, used for the maps in Region DoDs

Charts affected by the migration: http://staging-site-categorical-map-color/admin/test/embeds?ids=408,865,1290,4692,4801,4802,4854,5298,5318,5422,5932,5933,6001,6009,6013,6014,6015,6016,6017,6018,6019,6020,6021,6489,7146,7537,7539,7540,7739,7784,7889,7932,8038,8046,8151,8435,8436,8437,8438,8439,8440,8441,8462,8606,8725,8727,8820,8847,8903,8932&comparisonUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fourworldindata.org

sophiamersmann · 2026-02-19T16:18:52Z

🔨 improve typesafety of regions #6123
✨ Add categorical map color palette #6121 👈 (View in Graphite)
🔨 use chart iframes on test pages #6124
✨ support all region data providers in tooltips #6120
🎉 add region provider tooltips #6091
🎉 add region tooltip for income groups #6092 : 1 other dependent PR (#6093 )
✨ add info icon next to region provider suffix #6090
🔨 improve regions provider code #6022 : 3 other dependent PRs (#5980 , #6058 , #6062 )
🔨 (svg test) add chart type dropdown #6100
master

This stack of pull requests is managed by Graphite. Learn more about stacking.

owidbot · 2026-02-19T16:20:00Z

Quick links (staging server):

Site Dev	Site Preview	Admin	Wizard	Docs

Login: ssh owid@staging-site-categorical-map-color

Site-screenshots: https://github.com/owid/site-screenshots/compare/categorical-map-color
SVG tester: https://github.com/owid/owid-grapher-svgs/compare/categorical-map-color

Archive:

SVG tester:

Number of differences (graphers): 1872 (eb91e9) ❌ Report
Number of differences (grapher views): 657 (d8d1af) ❌ Report
Number of differences (mdims): 168 (f173c1) ❌ Report
Number of differences (explorers): 940 (c5a5f8) ❌ Report

Edited: 2026-02-24 12:13:44 UTC
Execution time: 1.36 seconds

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adminSiteClient/Colorpicker.tsx

sophiamersmann · 2026-02-23T16:00:18Z

adminSiteClient/Colorpicker.tsx

+            // We use OwidMapColors instead of the scheme's palette
+            // because it includes three additional 'special' colors
+            // to be used sparingly when needed (Taupe, Mustard, Tomato)


These extra three colors are the main reason the preset colors are customised here, because they're not part of the palette, but should be available to authors in case they need them for specific reasons

sophiamersmann · 2026-02-23T16:01:45Z

packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/color/CustomSchemes.ts

-    "Sub Saharan Africa": OwidDistinctColors.DarkMauve,
-    "South and South East Asia": OwidDistinctColors.OliveGreen,
-    "Middle East and North Africa": OwidDistinctColors.Camel,
+    "East Asia (Maddison)": OwidDistinctColors.Copper,


These ones slipped through somehow: some region names are made up and the 'Maddison' suffix is missing (probably Claude added them and I didn't notice at the time) - fixed now

sophiamersmann · 2026-02-23T16:01:56Z

packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/color/CustomSchemes.ts

    "Oceania (UN SDG)": OwidDistinctColors.Turquoise,
    "Sub-Saharan Africa (UN SDG)": OwidDistinctColors.DarkMauve,

+    // ILO regions


sophiamersmann · 2026-02-23T16:03:14Z

packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/color/CustomSchemes.ts

+CustomColorSchemes.push(OwidCategoricalMapScheme)
+
+// Map-specific region colors
+export const MapContinentColors = {


These are only used for the region maps in region dods (doesn't make much sense otherwise because these are map-optimised colors for regions that are never plotted on a map...)

marcelgerber

nice!

sophiamersmann · 2026-02-24T13:52:59Z

Merge activity

Feb 24, 1:52 PM UTC: A user started a stack merge that includes this pull request via Graphite.
Feb 24, 2:07 PM UTC: Graphite rebased this pull request as part of a merge.
Feb 24, 2:07 PM UTC: @sophiamersmann merged this pull request with Graphite.

github-actions bot assigned sophiamersmann Feb 19, 2026

github-actions bot added the staging-viz Let SVG tester fail silently in CI label Feb 19, 2026

sophiamersmann mentioned this pull request Feb 19, 2026

🎉 add region provider tooltips #6091

Merged

sophiamersmann mentioned this pull request Feb 19, 2026

✨ support all region data providers in tooltips #6120

Merged

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from e46a163 to 8aaf475 Compare February 19, 2026 16:39

sophiamersmann force-pushed the region-dods-extended branch from 43c266b to 69b6516 Compare February 19, 2026 16:39

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from 8aaf475 to d96437b Compare February 20, 2026 08:35

sophiamersmann mentioned this pull request Feb 20, 2026

🔨 improve typesafety of regions #6123

Merged

sophiamersmann changed the base branch from region-dods-extended to graphite-base/6121 February 20, 2026 10:54

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from 615ca5c to f7a6a7c Compare February 20, 2026 10:54

sophiamersmann force-pushed the graphite-base/6121 branch from 69b6516 to 8092da5 Compare February 20, 2026 10:54

sophiamersmann mentioned this pull request Feb 20, 2026

🔨 use chart iframes on test pages #6124

Merged

sophiamersmann force-pushed the graphite-base/6121 branch from 8092da5 to ed7903d Compare February 23, 2026 12:28

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from f7a6a7c to e413a2e Compare February 23, 2026 12:28

sophiamersmann changed the base branch from graphite-base/6121 to test-page-iframes February 23, 2026 12:28

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch 2 times, most recently from 891921a to 9bd4d7e Compare February 23, 2026 14:53

sophiamersmann marked this pull request as ready for review February 23, 2026 14:54

chatgpt-codex-connector bot reviewed Feb 23, 2026

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sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from 9bd4d7e to fbf8a02 Compare February 23, 2026 15:23

sophiamersmann commented Feb 23, 2026

View reviewed changes

sophiamersmann requested a review from marcelgerber February 23, 2026 16:04

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from fbf8a02 to d2750b8 Compare February 23, 2026 18:37

sophiamersmann force-pushed the test-page-iframes branch from ed7903d to eb177da Compare February 23, 2026 18:37

marcelgerber approved these changes Feb 24, 2026

View reviewed changes

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from d2750b8 to 9a4097c Compare February 24, 2026 11:49

sophiamersmann force-pushed the test-page-iframes branch from eb177da to 55c28a4 Compare February 24, 2026 11:49

sophiamersmann changed the base branch from test-page-iframes to graphite-base/6121 February 24, 2026 14:04

sophiamersmann changed the base branch from graphite-base/6121 to master February 24, 2026 14:05

sophiamersmann added 2 commits February 24, 2026 14:06

✨ add color palette for categorical maps

00617e6

✨ (admin) show categorical map colors as presets

9ef45dc

sophiamersmann force-pushed the categorical-map-color branch from 9a4097c to 9ef45dc Compare February 24, 2026 14:06

sophiamersmann merged commit ae3b2e4 into master Feb 24, 2026
18 of 20 checks passed

sophiamersmann deleted the categorical-map-color branch February 24, 2026 14:07

claude bot added the claude-code-assisted label Feb 25, 2026

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✨ Add categorical map color palette#6121

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