Data Visualization Journalism Edition July 11th, 2015
Aug 07, 2015
Data VisualizationJournalism EditionJuly 11th, 2015
David NewburyProfessional nerd artist
@workergnomewww.workergnome.com
Personal Favorite Data Visualization of 2015
Worst Data Visualization of 2015
What We're Doing Today:
—(Brief) History of Data Visualization—(Tiny) Theory of Visualization—(Incomplete) Overview of Tools—(Nerdy) Overview of Concepts—(Fake) Data Exploration—Computering—Telling Everybody
What We're not Doing Today:
—Writing Code—Worrying about Data Provenance—Advanced Tableau Stuff
Why?
Which is biggest?
15012, 8271, 30193, 1189, 9913, 16000, 92481, 49801, 100407, 2910, 3809, 8018, 61528, 18083, 38691, 1800
Which is biggest?
Which is biggest?
(Brief)History ofData Visualization
Tabula Peutingeriana, 5th century CE
Rene Descartes, 1600s
Joseph Priestly, New Chart of History (1769)
William Playfair, (1786 & 1801)
John Snow, London Cholera Map (1854)
Cholera Map
Florence Nightingale, War Deaths (1855)
Charles Minard, March on Moscow (1862)
More recent history.
Edward Tufte
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information.
New York Times
We dare not speak (too much) of
Mike Bostockin this workshop.
We dare not speak (too much) of
Mike Bostockin this workshop.
Just kidding.
(tiny)
Theory of Visualization
Two Uses1). help people grasp things outside their reach
Two Uses1). help people grasp things outside their reach
2.) tell stories
Dataviz is constructed reality.You are telling a story, not (just) stating facts.
data artas opposed to
data visualizationas opposed to
statistical graphics
Dataviz is constructed reality.Do you care how true your story is?
Do you care how accurate your story is?
Are you trying to teach, entertain, or convince?
Two types of visualizations:
Explanatory &Exploratory
Explanatory visualization work
You are telling a story that would be hard to tell otherwise.
Exploratory visualizations
You are trying to understand something that you don't know.
(Incomplete)
Overview of Tools
(Nerdy)Overview of Concepts
Potential Subjects.
subways, sheep, the solar system,shoes, sleep, skyline,snow, supermarket, sausages,school,the sea, spiders,staircases, syrup, soap,sawmills, stereos...
Potential Subjects.
subways, sheep, the solar system,shoes, sleep, skyline,snow, supermarket, sausages,school,the sea, spiders,staircases, syrup, soap,sawmills, stereos...
...and other things that begin with S.
DATA
Data
number of cars duration of ridedate of a ridedifferent linesnumber of stopscost per ridenumber of stops per daytime between stopscleanliness
Data: Type
DatesNumbersStringsGeographicalBoolean (true/false)
Data: Type
Really only two types:
WordsNumbers
Data: Type
Really only one type:
Text
Data: Type
DatesNumbersStringsGeographicalBoolean (true/false)
Data: Type
number of cars - Numericduration of ride - Numericdate of a ride - Datedifferent lines - Stringnumber of stops - Numericcost per ride - String OR Numbernumber of stops per day - Numerictime between stops - Numericcleanliness - String OR Boolean
Two (related ides):
dimensions & measuresThese are Tableau's words for these things.
Dimensions are Categories
Measures are for Counting
Measures get AxisDimensions get
number of cars - Measureduration of ride - Measuredate of a ride - Measuredifferent lines - Dimensionnumber of stops - Measurecost per ride - Dimensionnumber of stops per day - Measuretime between stops - Measurecleanliness - Dimension
A hidden measure:
David, Daniel, Dawn, Danique
A hidden measure:
David (1), Daniel (2), Dawn (3), Danique (4)
Position of the item in the group.
(Fake)Data Exploration
TRY IT.
Choose one.
subways, sheep, the solar system,shoes, sleep, skyline,snow, supermarket, sausages,school,the sea, spiders,staircases, syrup, soap,sawmills, stereos...
...and other things that begin with S.
Scope
All trains in a dayAll the rides that I've been on this yearMy train this morningAll of the stops in the cityEach lineEvery train stop in the past 50 years
Domain
number of cars - 1...8duration of ride - 30 sec...2 hoursdate of a ride - - 24ft...200ftdifferent lines - Red line, Blue line, Green line, Silver Line, Yellow Linenumber of stops - **2..20cost per ride - "$2.50, $1.75, $3.00, $0.00"number of stops per day - ??...???time between stops - 30 sec..5 minutes
Range
Domain is the possible input values
Range is the possible output values
Data3, 7, 10, 6, 2Position of the item in the group.
Domain[0-10][1-5]
RangeX: 400px Y: 800px
MappingX: item position Y: numeric value
Data3, 7, 10, 6, 2Position of the item in the group.
Lines
Data3, 7, 10, 6, 2Position of the item in the group.
Bars
Data3, 7, 10, 6, 2Position of the item in the group.
Area
Data3, 7, 10, 6, 2Position of the item in the group.
Color
Dataval1: 3, 7, 10, 6, 2val2: 5, 8, 1, 8, 3val3: Cat, Dog, Cat, Cat, DogPosition of the item in the group.
MappingX: item position Y: val1 Size: val2 Color: val3
Dimensions beyond X and Y.
ColorSizeShapeLabelsPatternsIconsAnything Else You Can Imagine
TRY IT.
Labels
Axis
HeadersNumber AxisDate AxisLog axis
Legends
TRY IT.
Coffee Break.(I'm not sure if there's actually coffee.)
Review
Dimensions & Measures
ScopeDomainRange
LabelsAxisLegends
The Role of Interactivity
Additional dimensions
Reducing complexity
“Overview first, zoom and filter, then details-on-demand.”— Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland
Time to do theComputering.