Fron%ers

of Computa%onal Journalism
Columbia Journalism School Week 6: Visualiza%on October 9, 2013

Week 6: Visualiza%on
Why visualize Big data viz The visual explora%on loop Editorial choice in visualiza%on

CS

CS

Data

Repor%ng

CS

CS

CS

CS

Data

Repor%ng

Filtering User

Eects

CS

CS

Data

Repor%ng

visualiza%on most commonly here

Topic links in Gdel, Escher, Bach

Visualiza%on allows people to ofoad cogni%on to the perceptual system, using carefully designed images as a form of external memory. The human visual system is a very high- bandwidth channel to the brain, with a signicant amount of processing occurring in parallel and at the pre-conscious level. Tamara Munzner

Pop-out eects

Visual Comparisons

length

orienta%on

size

color

...plus number, shape, rela%ve mo%on, and much more

Basic idea of visualiza%on: Turn something you want to nd into something you can see without thinking about it

clusters

outliers

extents

correla%ons

Week 6: Visualiza%on
Why visualize Big data viz The visual explora%on loop Editorial choice in visualiza%on

How not to show all the data

How not to show all the data

1. Filter: do not display all objects

How not to show all the data

1. Filter: do not display all objects 2. Summarize: combine mul%ple objects

How not to show all the data

1. Filter: do not display all objects 2. Summarize: combine mul%ple objects 3. Categorize: replace groups of similar objects with concepts

Week 6: Visualiza%on
Why visualize Big data viz The visual explora%on loop Editorial choice in visualiza%on

Ben Fry, Computa8onal Informa8on Design

Week 6: Visualiza%on
Why visualize Big data viz The visual explora%on loop Editorial choice in visualiza%on

Visualiza%on isnt objec%ve, but that doesnt mean you cant mislead. (Why is this graph misleading?)

Visualiza%on Layers
Data
what data is chosen, what omi`ed, which sources

Visual representa%on
encoding from data to picture

Annota%ons
highligh%ng, text, notes

Interac%vity
order of presenta%on, what user can alter