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

Video Documentary

datajournalism.stanford.edu

Thanks!

geoffmcghee@gmail.com

Twitter: @mcgeoff