Geoff McGhee Bay Area Data Visualization Group Meetup October 27, 2011 The Role(s) of Data Visualization
Oct 30, 2014
Geoff McGheeBay Area Data Visualization Group MeetupOctober 27, 2011
The Role(s) of Data Visualization
Dealing with Data
• 2003 estimate: 5 exabytes/day* new info
• Open government/transparency movements
• E-commerce, electronic record-keeping
• Digitization of media (photos, music, books...)
• Remote sensors, RFID tags, POS systems
• Plummeting Cost of Storage
• Data formats (XML, JSON, RDF… ), APIs
• Social media
Explosion of Electronic Information
* Exabyte = 1 million terabytes
• Bypass language centers, go direct to the visual cortex
• Leverage ability to recognize patterns, visual sense-making
• Powerful graphics chips enable animation, live data processing possible
Dealing with Data
Using the Eye-Brain Connection
Map of New Brainland by Unit Seven via Flickr
The Promise of Data Visualization
Roles of Data Visualization
Roles of Data Visualization
Visualizing New Information
• Data that reveals previously unknown insights into patterns of life
• Visualization as a way to “throw things on the wall” and examine
• Things that used to be unknown, unknowable, or impractical to know
• Less about visualization than the data
Google N-Gram Viewer
San Francisco Cabspotting, Stamen Design, (2006)
Visualization as Mirror
http://cabspotting.org/client.html
Visualization as MirrorVisualizing New Information
“Tourists vs. Locals,” Eric Fischer, (2010)http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624209158632/
Visualization as MirrorVisualization as MirrorVisualizing New Information
Visualizing New Information
“Tourists vs. Locals,” Eric Fischer, (2010)http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624209158632/
Visualization as Mirror
Visualizing New Information
“Tourists vs. Locals,” Eric Fischer, (2010)http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624209158632/
Visualization as Mirror
“Flickr Flow,” Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg (2009)http://hint.fm/projects/flickr/
Visualization as RemixVisualization as MirrorVisualization as MirrorVisualizing New Information
Visualization as MirrorVisualization as MirrorVisualizing New Information
http://mlb.mlb.com
“GameDay,” Major League Baseball (2011)
The Biggest Lies in Online Dating, OK Cupid (2010)
http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-biggest-lies-in-online-dating/
Visualization as Mirror
Roles of Data Visualization
Visualizing New Information
• Can be interactive– frequently not
• “Throw it on the wall”
• Maybe best seen as a “first pass,” a very mature but exploratory vis
• Story comes later – maybe even because of the visualization
Google N-Gram Viewer
The Remix
Roles of Data Visualization
Remix: The Familiar Through a New Lens
• Innovations in graphic display can change how we experience an idea
• Less about data than the visualization
• “Now I see it”
“Here and There,” Berg Design (2009)
http://berglondon.com/projects/hat/
Visualization as Remix
“If San Francisco Crime Was Elevation,” Doug McCune (2010)http://dougmccune.com/blog/2010/06/05/if-san-francisco-crime-was-elevation/
Visualization as Remix
“River Maps,” Daniel Huffman (2011)
http://somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/river-maps/
Visualization as Remix
“River Maps,” Daniel Huffman (2011)
http://somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/river-maps/
Visualization as Remix
“Dimensions,” BBC and Berg Design (2010)http://howbigreally.com
Visualization as Remix
“Map of the Market,” Martin Wattenberg/Smart Money (1998)http://www.smartmoney.com/map-of-the-market/
Visualization as Remix
The New York Times (2009)http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/06/business/economy/unemployment-lines.html
Visualization as Remix
The New York Times (2009)http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/06/business/economy/unemployment-lines.html
Visualization as Remix
The New York Times (2009)http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/06/business/economy/unemployment-lines.html
Visualization as Remix
Roles of Data Visualization
Remix: The Familiar Through a New Lens
• Can be about storytelling, but more likely: the visual format brings out something new from existing knowledge
• Some of the most artful and striking visualizations come from this category
• Can take more aesthetic risks
Investigation and Advocacy
Roles of Data Visualization
Investigation and Advocacy
• Both an analytical and communications format
• Data mining and analysis help uncover important trends, stories
• Persuasiveness of graphic forms can be used for transparency or persuasion
The Washington Post (2010)http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/map/
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
“What They Know,” The Wall Street Journal (2010)http://blogs.wsj.com/wtk/
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
The New York Times (2010)http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/07/11/nyregion/20100711-stop-and-frisk.html
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
The Sunlight Foundationhttp://influenceexplorer.com/organization/att-inc/d473e580c5684a658b754eb97566cb05?cycle=2010v
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
The Sunlight Foundationhttp://influenceexplorer.com/organization/att-inc/d473e580c5684a658b754eb97566cb05?cycle=2010v
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
“SourceMap,” MIT (2009)http://www.sourcemap.org/object/tesla-roadster
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
Clarity of Argument
Economic Policy Institute (2010)http://www.stateofworkingamerica.org/pages/interactive#/?start=1917&end=1918
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
“Remapping the Debate” Anti-Discrimination Center, (2011)http://remappingdebate.org/
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
“Remapping the Debate” Anti-Discrimination Center, (2011)http://remappingdebate.org/
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
“Remapping the Debate” Anti-Discrimination Center, (2011)http://remappingdebate.org/
Visualization for Investigation and AdvocacyVisualization for Investigation or Advocacy
Roles of Data Visualization
Investigation and Advocacy
• Storytelling is key
• Ideally about transparency and comprehensiveness (ie whole data set)
• But also about guiding viewer to most salient points to your argument
• Interactivity: linear story supplementedby nonlinear reference
Roles of Data Visualization
Environment for Exploration
• Tool for individual or collective exploration
• Can show same data in multiple dimensions, like time/space
• Search, filter, drill down to details
• Ideally, mark and share discoveries within the tool
Analyzing OCR Quality of Newspapers
Visualization as MirrorVisualization as MirrorEnvironment for Exploration
http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer
“Mapping America: Every City, Every Block,” The New York Times (2010)
Visualization as MirrorVisualization as MirrorEnvironment for Exploration
http://mappingtexts.org
“Assessing Digitization Quality,” Bill Lane Center for the American West/University of North Texas (2011)
Visualization as MirrorVisualization as MirrorEnvironment for Exploration
https://republicofletters.stanford.edu/
“Mapping the Republic of Letters,” Stanford University (2009-Present)
Environment for Exploration
Learn More Online…
Video Documentary
datajournalism.stanford.edu