NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION Information Visualization & Resources Seminar for K-12...

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION WWW.NCEE.NET

Information Visualization & Resources

Seminar for K-12 Economics Educators

Federal Reserve Bank of New YorkAugust 23 and 25, 2006

Elizabeth S. Webbink, PhDNCEE. Vice President. EconomicsAmerica

http://www.ncee.net/


INFORMATION GRAPHICS

Edward R Tufteis Professor Emeritus at Yale University. His work has been described as "a visual Strunk and White“.

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Envisioning Information

Visual Explanations : Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative

Beautiful Evidence

Inspiration for Good Design


http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi



http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_ei

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_ei

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_visex




http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_be

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_be

Data Presentation Principles• Use Handouts• Be Clear, but not Simple• Minimize Mapping• Cross-Pollinate• Compare and Contrast• Normalize the data• Maximize the Data:Ink Ratio & Eliminate Chartjunk• Use Multiples to reduce the new information to be filtered• Combine Multiples with Multidimensional Elements• Layer Information• Build data structures that facilitate rapid assimilation and analysis of large amounts of

information• Standardize elements • Integrate words and numbers• DON’T use graphs for few data points or highly localized comparisons• DO enjoy the time savings and productivity improvements

of better graphic design



DATA CAN BE RICH, DENSE AND COMPLEX

http://www.bell.lib.umn.edu/map/OLAUS/lgolaus.html

Olaus Magnus' Map of Scandinavia 1539






DATA CONVEYS MORE INFORMATION WHEN PRESENTED IN CONTEXT

with clearly marked boundaries

http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/Places/styles_of_old_maps.htm

Mapus Mundi






COMPLEXITY CAN BE MADE CLEAR

MAPQUEST’sview of Nantucket is clear, but simple and flat.

Examples of richer, more densely packed graphics abound in every port, (illustrated here by a clear but information-rich map of Nantucket Harbor)

Also try Google Maps (select the hybrid version) and look for your home or school!http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=

With permission of Youngs Bicycle Shop, Steamboat Wharf, Nantucket, MA 02554


http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=US&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&addtohistory=&cat=&address=&city=nantucket&state=ma&zipcode=

http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=










http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=US&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&addtohistory=&cat=&address=&city=nantucket&state=ma&zipcode=

MINIMIZE MAPPING

Trends in Developing Countries, 1969 drew countries according to the size of their GNP

Later versions removed the direct visual cue for size and forced the user to “map” through the color legend to determine the relative size of GDP

WORLD BANK



COLOR CAN FACILITATE RAPID ABSORPTION OF INFORMATION

Gradations in a monochromatic scheme are readily understood as lower to higher values of the indicator being displayed



HOWEVER, COLOR CAN SLOW THE ABSORPTION OF INFORMATION IF IT REQUIRES THE VIEWER TO “MAP” INFORMATION THROUGH A LEGEND

In this illustration, a polychromatic scheme requires the viewer to refer—or map—to the legend to determine which colors represent higher or lower values.



TOO MUCH MAPPING ONLY ADDS TO THE CONFUSION

Garden State Parkway Toll Booths are models for unfriendly Graphic User Inter-face (GUI) design!

Toll payers contend with several payment options keyed to colored signs. The sign over each booth is (unnecessarily) paired with a smaller number which the driver must match to numbers painted on the approach lanes.

This is further complicated in the Northbound lanes where -- numbers are painted on the road prior to a curve and -- before the numbers are discernible



MINIMIZE MAPPING &MAXIMIZE VISUAL CUES

Place descriptive information as close as possible to the data it describes

Color code scales with the data series which use them – here the index and right hand scale are in red.



MINIMIZE MAPPING (cont.)

Common scales can facilitate comparison of multiple datasets.

The three graphs on top show State data relative to their U.S. average, However, the States cannot be compared easily to each other.

The three graphs on the bottom were redrawn with the same scale so that State data could be compared with each other as well as the U.S. average.



CROSS-POLLINATE

TREE OF LIFE

There are examples of good design in many fields. This is an example from BioInformatics, a field integrating Biology and the Computer Sciences

Shown here is part of the Tree of Life. David Hillis, Paul Lewis, and their collaborators are working on new methodologies for the analysis of extremely large data sets.

Reprinted with permission of David Hillis, University of Texas, Austin, TX


http://beta.tolweb.org/tree

http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/IB/faculty/HILLIS.HTM





GOOD DESIGN HELPS VIEWERS “COMPARE & CONTRAST”

Well-organized data presentations can analyze as well as display information, e.g. to compare two leeches, researchers arrayed the DNA sequence

-- vertically for the leech with the blood coagulating property

-- horizontally for the leech without that property

then marked on the diagonal where the DNA matched.

Breaks along the diagonal marked the DNA segment that determines coagulation —valuable information for medical science.



LAYOUT CAN HELP A USER RAPIDLY ABSORB LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFROMATION

A matrix of information will provide a visual structure to the information. In this case, NCEE publications are arrayed according to grade level and subject area.

http://www.ncee.net/ea/public/ncee_poster.xls

NCEE Publications by Grade & Subject Area







ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF VISUAL STRUCTURE FACILITATING RAPID IDENTIFICATION

L’EGGS HOSIERY

The display organizes merchandise by

- style- color and- size


http://www.vrmill.com/-portfolio/Leggs.htm


SMALL MULTIPLES MAKE A BIG IMPRESSION

BRONX ZOORobin’s egg exhibit

I … In nature you start with 100 robins eggsII … about 74 eggs become hatchlingsIII …approximately 52 hatchlings grow to fledgling stageIV … and roughly 10 fledglings survive to be adult robins -- and make more eggs

Photography by Kate Webbink



MULTIPLES – OR REPEATED USE OF THE SAME STRUCTURE FACILITATES

COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION

Spreadsheets can be powerful data visualization and productivity tools.

Inspiration can be found in art museums and many other placeshttp://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/broadway.jpg


http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/broadway.jpg






"HOMELAND SECURITY: How Infotech can combat homeland insecurity.“ FORTUNE MAGAZINE, Monday, July 22, 2002

OVERLAY DIFFERENT INFORMATION ON A COMMON ELEMENT

REUSING THE BASIC ELEMENT TO DISPLAY NEW INFORMATION

HERE THE BASIC MAP ELEMENT IS USED w/6 TYPES OF INFORMATION


http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?channel=artcol.jhtml&doc_id=208640





MULTIPLES ALLOW THE VIEWER TO QUICKLY FOCUS ON “WHAT’S DIFFERENT”

Productivity improvements such as more rapid assimilation of information can mean:

• greater output in the same amount of time or

• less time to produce the same output with increased time to enjoy a sunrise!

Photography by Greg Webbink



COMPARABILITY AND CAUSALITYCAN ALSO BE DISPLAYED VISUALLY

What goes into the U.S. Energy Supply and how is it used?

Source: Energy Information Agency

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf#search=%22%2B%22energy%20flow%22%20%2B2005%22

See Also: Energy Outlook

Energy Flow in the U.S. Economy








http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Citizenship/Imports/EnergyOutlook05/2005_energy_outlook.pdf


http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf


CAUSALITY & INTERCONNEC-TIVITY COME TO LIFE IN MIND MAPS (also referred to as Concept Maps)

SOURCE: Budd, John W. 2004. Mind Maps as Classroom Excercises, Journal of Economic Education, (Winter): 35-46.

http://www.indiana.edu/~econed/pdffiles/winter04/Budd.pdf#search=%22%2B%22mind%20map%22%20%2Bbudd%22

Mind Map for Housing Prices








Appendix A: Economic Statistics for use in the classroom

How DO you use data in your classes?

How would you LIKE to use datain your classes?

What TYPES of data would you like to have available?


THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS excellent sources of data & educational materials

http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/Current/

Board of Governors Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank of New York Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Federal Reserve Bank of San FranciscoFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Federal Reserve Statistical Releases






http://www.federalreserve.gov/publications.htm

http://www.frbatlanta.org/invoke.cfm?objectid=A3536850-1354-11D5-93310020352A7A95&method=display

http://www.frbatlanta.org/invoke.cfm?objectid=A3536850-1354-11D5-93310020352A7A95&method=display

http://www.bos.frb.org/education/

http://www.bos.frb.org/education/

http://www.chicagofed.org/education_resources/index.cfm

http://www.chicagofed.org/education_resources/index.cfm

http://www.clevelandfed.org/Education/index.cfm

http://www.clevelandfed.org/Education/index.cfm

http://www.dallasfed.org/educate/index.html

http://www.dallasfed.org/educate/index.html

http://www.kc.frb.org/home/subwebs.cfm?subWeb=7

http://www.kc.frb.org/home/subwebs.cfm?subWeb=7

http://www.minneapolisfed.org/econed/

http://www.minneapolisfed.org/econed/

http://www.newyorkfed.org/education/index.html

http://www.newyorkfed.org/education/index.html

http://www.phil.frb.org/education/index.html

http://www.phil.frb.org/education/index.html

http://richmondfed.org/educational_info/

http://richmondfed.org/educational_info/

http://www.frbsf.org/education/index.html

http://www.frbsf.org/education/index.html

http://www.stlouisfed.org/education/

http://www.stlouisfed.org/education/




FRED

LOG ON!

The St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank has a very convenient, simple to use site for data retrieval. Log on to http://research.stlouisfed.org/useraccount/register/step1Register for a free account.

While you do not NEED to do this to have access to the data, if you have an account, you can store up to 25 sets, each with 25 series, to update and download whenever you log on.

You can log in or visit https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/

For instance: Scroll down to Categories

Click on U.S. Trade & International Transactions

Select Balance on Current Account

VIOLA! A chart with options to download data, add to your data set, etc.


http://research.stlouisfed.org/useraccount/register/step1

https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/



A CLOSEUP of“FRED”



THE WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC STATISTICS BRIEFING ROOM

http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/output.html

White House Economic Statistics






THE WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC STATISTICS BRIEFING ROOM

CLOSEUP


OECD ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

This edition of the OECD Economic Outlook analyses the major trends that will mark the years 2006 and 2007.

OECD Economic Outlook No. 79, May 2006

http://www.oecd.org/document/61/0,2340,en_2649_201185_2483901_1_1_1_1,00.html

OECD Economic Outlook








BRIEFING.COM

http://www.briefing.com/Investor/Public/MarketAnalysis/Calendars/EconomicCalendar.htm

Briefing.com




BRIEFING.COM


Briefing.com -- sample



ENERGY INFORMATION

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/world.html

http://www2.nsta.org/energy/find/primer/index.html

http://www.understanding-energy.com/

http://www.classroom-energy.com/teachers/energy_tour/pg1.html

ENERGY DEMAND GROWTH 2003-2030(an interactive chart)http://www.tmcclient.com/exxonmobil/map/

Energy Information











THERE ARE ABUNDANT DATA RESOURCES ON THE WEB

Find additional links on EconEdLink

http://www.econedlink.org/

Try EconEdink’s Online Compound Interest Calculator

http://www.econedlink.org/interactives/interest.html


NCEE’s EconEdLink









Why is it important to“think in databases”?

Helps deal with tremendous growth in information

Forces formal specification of structure, e.g., variables by which we filter — gender, country, age, etc.

Facilitates recognition of patterns IF combined with appropriate visualization techniques

Enables productivity enhancements both in the workplace and the “learning place”

People get paid more for doing work faster/better, i.e., with improved productivity



Appendix B: Overview of Excel Pivot Tables

The following pages give a quick overview of the use of Excel’s Pivot Tables in handling and displaying large data sets. If you find the visual presentation of information helpful, you might enjoy the computer training books from the “Teach Yourself Visually” series.


Data sets are readily available from many sources over the internet



… but may need reformatting to increase their usefulness as databases



xxxDefine your database rangeEXCEL

Define a Range

Select/Highlight your data range

Select Insert / Name / Define / db /OK



Create a Pivot Table

EXCELConstruct a Pivot Table SelectData / Pivot Table / MSOffice Excel list / NextRange: =dbNext



EXCELDefine a Range Select New worksheet / Layout /Drag “Field Names” to the positions where you want to place them in your Pivot Table.

There are four choices:Rows, Columns, Pages, and Data

Select OK /New worksheet / Finish



EXCEL

You can now reorganize your display to meet your needs

e.g., Country by YearorYear by Country

By dragging the field names to a different location



Select one or all Page itemsEXCEL

You can select all or one PAGE field

SelectReal GDP per Capita



Select ROW/COLUMN itemsEXCEL

You can select and deselect ROW and COLUMN fields

SelectCanadaJapanUnited KingdomUnited States



Pivots (continued)



EXCEL

Right click inside your table and select PivotChart

Pivots (continued)



EXCEL

You can now reorganize your display to meet your needs



EXCEL

Select other Chart Types and Options

Right click inside the chart and make your selections



EXCEL

Microsoft Office Excel 2003—Illustrated ADVANCED

Help users master computer skills quickly and easily with this colorful, highly-visual Illustrated Course Guide for Excel 2003. Lessons are presented in an easy-to-follow 2-page spread that introduces step-by-step instructions on the left page and large screenshots and illustrations on the right. This signature, streamlined approach allows continuing education students learn quickly, while also serving as an excellent reference tool

http://www.course.com/catalog/product.cfm?isbn=0-619-05774-2&courseguide=y

For more information on Pivot Tables:Thomson Learning Course Guide

Additional EXCEL guides are available from Thomson at:http://www.course.com/catalog/subcategory.cfm?category=Spreadsheets






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