A Visual Analytics Dashboard for Analyzing Tax Revenue in Papua New Guinea

Table of Contents (TOC):

• Analyzing Tax Revenue in Papua New Guinea
• Why This Problem Matters
• How a Visual Dashboard Changes the Approach
• Research Methodology
• What the Dashboard Enables
• Research Reflection

Analyzing Tax Revenue in Papua New Guinea

What if tax data could do more than just sit in reports?

What if it could actively guide decisions as they happen?

In Papua New Guinea, tax revenue is central to funding public services and supporting economic development. Yet the real challenge is not collecting data, but making sense of it in a timely and meaningful way.

Today, much of this data is scattered across systems and presented in formats that are difficult to interpret quickly. For decision-makers, this creates a gap between having data and actually using it effectively.

This project explores how a visual analytics dashboard can help close that gap by making tax data more accessible, interactive, and useful for real-world decision-making.

Why This Problem Matters

Tax systems generate large volumes of information, but without the right tools, that information often remains underutilized.

In practice, stakeholders frequently deal with fragmented datasets, limited real-time visibility, and reports that require significant manual effort to interpret. This makes it harder to track performance, identify patterns, and respond to emerging fiscal challenges.

As expectations around transparency and governance continue to grow, the ability to work with data efficiently becomes just as important as the data itself.

This is where a more integrated and visual approach begins to make a difference.

How a Visual Dashboard Changes the Approach

Instead of relying on static reports, this project introduces a Visual Analytics Dashboard that brings together tax revenue data into a single, interactive platform.

Using business intelligence and data visualization techniques, the dashboard allows users to explore tax data more intuitively. It provides real-time insights into performance, enables trend analysis over time, and supports comparisons across provinces. It also allows users to track key revenue streams such as income tax, GST, corporate tax, and excise duties within one unified view.

This shift from static reporting to interactive analysis makes it easier to understand what is happening and where attention is needed.

Research Methodology

To develop this solution, the project combines data integration with applied business intelligence techniques.

Tax revenue data from multiple sources is brought together into a unified system, allowing for consistent analysis and visualization. The approach focuses on improving accessibility, enabling real-time insights, and supporting more efficient monitoring of tax performance.

By structuring the data in a way that supports interaction and comparison, the dashboard turns raw information into something decision-makers can actively use.

What the Dashboard Enables

The results show how a visual analytics approach can improve both the clarity and usability of tax data.

With this dashboard, stakeholders can monitor performance more efficiently, identify trends more quickly, and detect potential revenue gaps with greater ease. It also supports more transparent reporting and strengthens the ability to make informed fiscal decisions.

Overall, the project highlights how better tools can lead to better use of data, ultimately supporting more effective governance and planning.

Research Reflection

This experience strengthened my ability to apply digital tools and data analytics to real-world fiscal challenges, reinforcing my commitment to supporting public sector innovation and better financial governance through technology.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my Capstone supervisor, Ms Shanthi Iyer, for her continuous guidance, constructive feedback, and support throughout this journey. Her insights were instrumental in shaping the direction and depth of this project.

I also appreciate the academic flexibility and support provided by Guglielmo Marconi University, which allowed me to combine academic research with practical implementation.