The Islamic University of Gaza

Faculty of Information Technology 01

Data Visualization

By: Ibrahim S. Alfayoumi, Ameer M. Telbani

Outlines

1. What is data 
2. What is the difference between data and information 
3. Why do we prefer visual data (why visualization) 
4. What is Data Visualization
4.1 Data visualization
4.2 Why data visualization is such a powerful tool  
5. Exploration BEFORE Visualization
6. Importance of Data Exploration
7. Importance of Data Visualization
8. Key Figures in the History of Data Visualization
What is data 
What is data 

Data = Symbols

Data is computerized representations of models and attributes of real or

simulated entities
The difference between
data and information 
Data & Information 

Information is data that are processed to

be useful, providing answers to “who,”
“what,” “where,” and “when” questions
Information is data that represents the
results of a computational process, such as
statistical analysis, for assigning meanings
to the data, or the transcripts of some
meanings assigned by human beings
Data & Information 
Why do we prefer visual
data?
Why do we prefer visual data?

Data visualization gives us a clear idea of what the information means by giving it visual
context through maps or graphs. This makes the data more natural for the human mind to
comprehend and therefore makes it easier to identify trends, patterns, and outliers within
large data sets. 
What is Data Visualization
What is Data Visualization

Data visualization is a graphic representation that expresses the significance of data. It

reveals insights and patterns that are not immediately visible in the raw data. It is an art
through which information, numbers, and measurements can be made more
understandable.
The main goal of data visualization is to communicate information clearly and
effectively through graphical means.
What is Data Visualization

It doesn’t mean that data visualization needs to look boring to be functional or extremely
sophisticated to look beautiful. To convey ideas effectively, both aesthetic form and
functionality need to go hand in hand
What is Data Visualization

“Data is the new oil” may be a

cliche, but it is true. Like oil, data
in its raw, unrefined form is
pretty worthless. To unlock its
value, data needs to be refined,
analyzed and understood
Why data visualization is such a
powerful tool
Why data visualization is such a powerful tool

Intuitive: Presenting a graph as a node-link

structure instantly makes sense, even to people who
have never worked with graphs before.

Fast: It is fast because our brains are great at

identifying patterns, but only when data is presented
in a tangible format. Armed with visualization, we can
spot trends and outliers very effectively.

Flexible: The world is densely connected, so as long

as there is an interesting relationship in your data
somewhere, you will find value in graph visualization.

Insightful: Exploring graph data interactively allows

users to gain more in-depth knowledge, understand
the context and ask more questions, compared to
static visualization or raw data.
Exploration BEFORE
Visualization
Exploration BEFORE Visualization

“Data exploration tasks are those of examining data without having an a priori understanding of what
patterns, information, or knowledge it might contain.” While the majority of research has been on the
output of and creation of visualizations, but the important aspect of these tasks is to first understand the
data that is being presented.

Data exploration refers to the initial step in data analysis in which data analysts use data
visualization and statistical techniques to describe dataset characterizations, such as size, quantity, and
accuracy, in order to better understand the nature of the data.
Exploration BEFORE Visualization

Data exploration techniques include both manual analysis and automated data exploration software
solutions that visually explore and identify relationships between different data variables, the structure of
the dataset, the presence of outliers, and the distribution of data values in order to reveal patterns and
points of interest
Importance of Data Visualization
Importance of Data Visualization

According to the World Economic Forum, the world produces 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day, and
90% of all data has been created in the last two years. With so much data, it’s become increasingly
difficult to manage and make sense of it all. It would be impossible for any single person to wade
through data line-by-line and see distinct patterns and make observations. Data proliferation can be
managed as part of the data science process, which includes data visualization
Importance of Data Visualization

Data visualization has become an indispensable part of the business world and an ever increasing part
of managing our daily life. Effective data visualization should be informative, efficient, appealing, and in
some cases interactive and predictive.

The visualization should be able to

Informative convey the desired information from
the data to the reader.
The visualization should not be
Efficient
ambiguous.
The visualization should be
Appealing captivating and visually pleasing.
The visualizations can contain
variables and filters with which the
Interactive and Predictive (Optional)
users may interact to predict results
of different scenarios.
History of Infographics
History of Infographics

The Beginning
Infographics have been seen as early as 25,000 years ago in Brazil.
These infographics depicted information on cave walls.
One of the oldest graphics ever found in the Dunhuang star atlas.
This ancient Chinese atlas has more than 1,300 stars depicted and
dates back to 649 and 684 AD.

The Rise of Print and Data Visualizations

William Playfair created modern statistical graphs including the

line graph, pie chart, and bar chart in the late 1700s. These data
visualizations are popular among today’s infographics to show a
variety of data in an easy-to-understand format.
History of Infographics

The 20th Century

infographics began to evolve to include the design elements we
still use today. Data elements and pictograms emerged into to
infographic scene. The Sunday Times started the movement of
printing infographics created by Peter Sullivan and inspired many
other publications to do so as well.
Then came the internet and creating infographics online that we
know and love today.
Data Visualization Vs.
Infographics
Data Visualization Vs. Infographics

In most instances, data visualization refers primarily to the specific techniques of representing data as
visual information, graphs, plots, and charts.  Consisting purely of data and design, successful data
visualization helps clarify information by giving an overview of the implications of your research.
Because data visualization conveys information about a fixed set of numbers, you should focus your
design on the data itself. While visuals are necessary to illustrate trends, ensure that your illustrations, if
any, do not distract your viewers. Doing so will strengthen your overall message and allow your
audience to draw their own conclusions. 
Data Visualization Vs. Infographics

Combining illustrations, facts, and text, infographics often tell a visual story. Though infographics may
use data visualization, data visualization is not always an infographic. When designed
effectively, infographics communicate a subjective narrative or overview of a topic using illustrations to
drive visual storytelling. As infographics convey multiple ideas, you should design for visual appeal and
overall reader comprehension.  Because infographics guide your audience towards conclusions, your
design should complement the visual story you’re trying to tell.
Data Visualization Vs. Infographics

When Should You Use Infographics or Data Visualization?

Data Visualization

• Newsletters: Generally shorter than a blog post, but longer than a social media post, newsletters
are perfect for data visualization. You can include some data visualization in an email newsletter
to feature your company’s unique findings, statistics, or status.

• White Papers & eBooks: Include data visualization to help prove the points you make in the
document to influence your readers.

• Annual Reports: Whether you’re collecting your year’s greatest hits for your internal team, or
wanting to share your wins with your clients, you can create an illustrated annual report,
complete with data visualization, to provide an overview of the past year, success stories, and
analysis.
Data Visualization Vs. Infographics

When Should You Use Infographics or Data Visualization?

Infographics

• Blog Posts: Because blog posts are written for a specific purpose, publish your infographic on
your blog, or segment it into pieces for supporting the text in your post.

• Case Studies: Paired with a study of a particular context, an infographic can provide engaging
visuals and succinctly summarize a lengthy report, offering valuable insights to your readers.

• Marketing Content: If you want to build greater awareness of your brand, consider distributing
your infographic across your channels, by separating it into short sections. Post these on social
as thumbnails. Increased social sharing can result in widespread awareness of your brand.
That’s all
for this chapter