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.