DrTristan Hotham

Politics / The past / Places / Maps
Data-led researcher of politics, the past, platforms and places.Maker of maps, games and other things.
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About

Politics, the past and places, through data.

I'm Dr Tristan Hotham, an independent researcher. My PhD looked at how British political parties campaign on Facebook, and I still publish on campaigns and platforms across Europe. I also turn the same toolkit, big open datasets, careful counting and a lot of maps, on history, landscape and weather, in Britain and around the world.

Portrait of Dr Tristan Hotham, in black and white with red and blue constructivist shapes
Dr Tristan Hotham
Start here

Maps to play with

Four favourites. Each one is a live, interactive map built from open data: search your town, drag a slider, switch a layer.

Data stories

More data stories

More questions about the past, places, politics, food and the weather. Every study has a map to explore, a write-up and open data. Filter by theme, or let the dice choose.

Research

Politics & platforms

My research on parties, leaders and campaigns asks what they actually post, who they reach, and what platforms change. Every paper is open, with a plain-English summary.

Publications

Latest papers

Open-access preprints, each with a DOI, an abstract page and a plain-English summary.

Blog

From the blog

Four favourites: the thesis, a Facebook paper, a map of Britain’s hill and stream names, and the UK’s sunshine against its rain.

Media

Press coverage

My research has been reported in the press and discussed on air, and I have commented on platforms and politics for broadcasters.

See all coverage →

Coverage

Selected coverage

Plus broadcast and radio work with BBC World News, BBC World Service, BBC local radio, LBC and Channel 5 News.

Play

Games, made for fun

Small browser games, from daily games about places in the UK and around the world to the Second World War, neon tactics and art-gallery chaos. Free to play, no download.

Whereabouts World: a world map with numbered guesses closing in on a star in Peru▶ Play
New · Daily

Whereabouts World

Find the mystery place anywhere on Earth in six goes: a country, a capital, a city, a town, a village or a region. Every guess tells you how far off you are and which way to go, and every miss unlocks a clue, from the climate to the oddest thing about its country.

Higher or Lower: World: a world map with Czechia and India highlighted▶ Play
New · Daily

Higher or Lower: World

Two countries, one number: which is higher? Beer and tea, islands and earthquakes, Olympic medals, IKEA stores and bananas. Sixty-seven measures for every country in the world, ten new pairs each day and an endless mode.

Whereabouts: a map of the UK with numbered guesses closing in on a mystery town▶ Play
New · Daily

Whereabouts

Guess the mystery UK town, city, village or county in six goes. Every guess tells you how far off you are and which way to go, and every miss unlocks a clue, from sunshine and house prices to the oddest thing about its council area. Find out what the name means at the end.

Higher or Lower: two council cards, Rossendale or Powys, with the numbers hidden▶ Play
New · Daily

Higher or Lower

Two places, one number: which is higher? A daily game of UK councils by the numbers, from pay, house prices and pubs to sunshine, the Leave vote, Druids, sheep farms and haunted houses. Sixty-six measures for every council, a map so you know where they are, ten new pairs each day and an endless mode that gets harder as you go.

Bit-zkrieg: Iron Front '44: American infantry and tanks fight up from Omaha Beach towards the German bunkers▶ Play
New

Bit-zkrieg: Iron Front '44

Shanghai to Berlin, 1937 to 1945. A turn-based tactics game of the Second World War: 149 historical battles in 23 campaigns, with the real generals, tanks, ships and aircraft, a soundtrack of period recordings, Last Stand, a zombie mode and a map builder. Free in your browser, with a trailer.

Neon Protocol: Uprising: the Shin-Pacifica skyline under the Overmind's eye, with six of the game's generals▶ Play

Neon Protocol: Uprising

Shin-Pacifica, 2187. The AI built to save the planet has decided the answer is fewer people, and it is recycling the city sector by sector. Lead the Resistance, or play the machine and hear its case. Turn-based tactics and base building in a neon megacity. Version 0.3, playtested by a panel of AIs, with a trailer.

Gallery Gaffer gameplay▶ Play

Gallery Gaffer

The night shift, seven masterpieces and one roll of tape. Patch the damage, swat the moths and see off the pigeons, geese and soup-throwing protesters before closing time. A pixel-art arcade game for phone and desktop, with a trailer.

All games →
Other things I make

Art, music & more

Photography, pictures and music, made for the fun of it, plus every post on the blog.

Contact

Let's talk

To get in touch about my research, email me.

Views here are my own.

Short bio and citation

Short bio: Dr Tristan Hotham is an independent, data-led researcher of politics, the past, platforms and places. PhD, University of Bath. Views are my own.

Cite this site: Hotham, T. (2026). Dr Tristan Hotham: research and data stories. https://tristanhotham.com/