Interpreting Our Visual World
An example visualization of musical data gathered by Last.fm since March 10, 2008, published on visual.ly [1].
In this Information Age, data is seamlessly weaved into the organization and presentation of the continuous flow of findings. There are numerous types of data, methods of gathering and measuring data and data visualization. While some background will be explored, the portion most pertinent to this curriculum is the subject of data visualization. That is, the way we turn the volumes of information into forms more easily digested by our brains.
Human brains in a sense are supercomputers, constantly taking in and processing signals from our senses. As we will learn in the other sections of the syllabus, some people are missing one or more of the five basic senses while others may claim to have a sixth sense. Marcel Just, Director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University said,
“Processing print isn’t something the human brain was built for. The printed word is a human artifact…Mother Nature has built into our brain our ability to see the visual world and interpret it[1].”
Manipulating data is therefore not only an effective but also a necessary learning and communication tool. It organizes and accumulates what we know and shows us what we still have to find out and helps us make informed decisions. Sometimes data helps display the news, sometimes it’s the subject of the news.
The rise of mobile, social and marketing media make this practice of optimizing visual content and visual data critical.
An Introduction to Data
Data Defined
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines data as “facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something.” It is also specified as “factual information[2].”
There are two basic categories of data: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data are “measures of values or counts and are expressed as numbers[3].” How many apples are in the basket? Qualitative data are “measures of ‘types’ and may be represented by a name, symbol, or a number code[3].” What colors are the apples in the basket? Both forms of data can be represented visually in a variety of ways.
Gathering Data
Gathering data is an intricate and important process, and is well illustrated by the study or archaeology. The initial phase is to observe pre-existing data. That is, conducting historical, geographical, statistical and even oral history is the act of using pre-existing data. Each excavation, like most scientific endeavors, must begin with research design. This will outline the “who, what, where, when, and why the fieldwork is being carried out [4].” Only then, with a specific and well thought out plan can the archaeologists move forward.
A more relatable form of data collection is using surveys. Surveys can be used to sway public opinion or influence consumer behavior. They are relatively simple to set up, measure and model. The ease and effectiveness of this method makes it accessible as a learning tool for students.
Data Visualization at a Glance
Data visualization represents quantitative data in schematic form, which may or may not include axes. Information visualization uses “interactive visual representations of data to amplify cognition [5].” This means that the data is transformed into an image that can change as the user interacts with it. Concept visualization includes methods to “elaborate (mostly) qualitative concepts, ideas, plans and analyses.”[5] Strategy visualization incorporates the systematic use of complementary visual representations in the analysis, development, formation, communication, and implementation of strategies in organizations.” Visual Metaphors “position information graphically to organize and structure information. They also convey an insight about the represented information through the key characteristics of the metaphor that is employed [5].” Compound visualization uses “different graphic representations in one single schema or frame [5].”
Data Visualization in Marketing
Color can affect consumer choices and impressions. demonstrated by visual.ly’s Color Emotion Guide [2].
Visual representations like this break the monotony of more elementary methods such as bar graphs, line graphs and data tables.
Joe Hallock’s Colour Assignment puts all of these steps together. His findings show color preferences across genders, likely collected using a survey method and displayed in a visual manner with percentage representations [8]. He then used a different type of graph to organize the data in another manner, organized by age group rather than gender. The information is displayed clearly and concisely and can subsequently be utilized as marketing research. These two different manipulations of the same data set could theoretically be used by two different industries. That shows just how versatile data can be, even with something as seemingly trivial as favorite or least favorite color.
Joe Hallock’s “Colour Assignment” shows data visualization can be used to display and compare sets of information [3].
Being as this is a journalism class, it’s important to touch on the application of data and the news. This seems straightforward when you think of all the statistics you hear in headlines alone. In fact, sometimes all those facts and figures go over our heads. U.S. News & World Report have a section on their website called the “Data Mine.” With the subtitle, “Numbers you can use,” this blog boasts, “Even if you detested stats class, data can be way more compelling than you realize. On Data Mine, we make the numbers in the news make sense[9].”
One particularly interesting headline that yearns for the attention of college aged students reads, “#ThanksObama: Instagrammers Have 13K Reasons to Hate the President.” The writer, Lauren Boyer proceeds to break down the hashtag phenomenon, complete with a variety of interactive visuals.
The page boasts a pixelated portrait of the Commander in Chief, each pixel links to a caption for an Instagram post “thanking” Obama. It is followed by a series of charts that determine a variety of virtually useless information, such as that “on average, Instagrammers thank Obama 86 times per day [9]” and that the hashtag is most frequently used on Thursdays and around four in the afternoon (Pacific time) and even links to the Instagram users who have “thanked” Obama the most frequently.
This article is a great example of how data in the news can be used for good or evil or just plain silliness.
In Review
The information presented here is only the tip of the iceberg of a looming and multifaceted entity. With the progression of time, data will have increased presence and influence in our daily lives. Data helps determine what we see in the news, in social media feeds and in advertisements. As we surround ourselves more and more with technology, so will we surround ourselves with the collection, organization, usage and manipulation of data and it is in our best interest to know how to use it to our advantage.
Related Topics
- Seeing Technology
- Documentary & Propaganda of Seeing
- Seeing News: Seduction of Seeing
- Seeing Differently
- Ethics
References
[1] “Why Visual Content Will Rule Digital Marketing in 2014.” SteamFeed. N.p., 15 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
[2] “Data.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
[3] “Quantitative and Qualitative Data.” Australian Bureau of Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
[4] “Methods of Gathering Data.” Society for American Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
[5] “A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods.” A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
[6] “Data Visualization.” Coursera. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
[7] “Social Media Trends in 2015 – What to Watch Out For.” MavSocial. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
[8] “Colour Assignment – Preferences.” Colour Assignment. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
[9] Boyer, Lauren. “#ThanksObama: Instagrammers Have 13K Reasons to Hate the President.” US News. U.S.News & World Report, 16 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Additional Reading
1. Burke, S., & Powers, A. (2014). Washington, D.C. DK Publishing.
This line of Eyewitness Travel books claim to be “the guides that show you what others only tell you.” Some of the inclusions that it lists are a “pull-out map with useful transportation and travel information,” “tailor-made itineraries,” “cutaways and floor plans of all the major sights,” “3-D aerial views of Washington, D.C.’s most interesting districts,” along with a few other things and “packed with photographs, illustrations, and maps.” To be exact, according to the cover the book contains 524 photographs, 49 illustrations and a variety of detailed maps. This may not seem like a scholarly source but it’s an informative source that also epitomizes the utilization of data and data visualization.
2. Kumar, S., & Moore, K. (2002). The Evolution of Global Positioning System (GPS) Technology. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11(1), 59-80. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from JSTOR.
Kumar and Moore trace the development of Global Positioning System technology, which began early in the space race in the 1950s. The technology was first developed by the Department of Defense and used primarily in satellite and military programs. Device prices and sizes have reduced significantly over time and been made available to a larger market and civilian sector. This unique history is something that captured my attention at the museum and represents a perfect marriage between data and technology.
3. Kurtz, M. (1995). Giant Shoulders: Data and Discovery in Astronomy. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 107(714), 776-776. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from JSTOR.
Kurtz attempts to model and describe “how data and technology influence the process of a discovery.” He starts small scale, with a short example applying the model to a small project. Then he extends the model to “the current state of redshift surveys.” A redshift survey is a concept in astronomy that uses Hubble’s law to estimate the distance of an object from Earth. Finally he discusses “the implications for data archives and information-retrieval systems.”
4. Linden, R. (2006). Best of the National Air and Space Museum. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books.
Curator of aeronautics Robert Van Der Linden’s book boasts a plethora of statistics and facts about both the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. and the Udvar-Hazy Center. This book was released shortly after the Udvar-Hazy Center opened and may be outdated on some facts for this reason. The inside back flap reads, “Here in book form is your personal guided tour to the world’s most popular museum.” The full-color pages include “intriguing facts about the original design, use, mission, specifications, and dimensions of the world’s most famous craft…”
5. McMahon, M. (1981). The Romance of Technological Progress: A Critical Review of the National Air and Space Museum. Technology and Culture, 22(2), 281-296.
McMahon begins with a quote from Senator Barry Goldwater, 1970: “When we boil it all down, America’s real contribution in the material fields has been technology, and aviation and space represent the peak of that and it will be the magnet that will pull young people along and the steam that will drive older people with them.” He continues with an exhibit review, making the claim that the Air and Space Museum is the federal government’s advertisement for air and space technology. He compares the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) to the “older conception of the proper role of the science museum.” He brings up the significance of NASM’s proximity to the Mall and its design aesthetic in a way. He questions the emphasis on the “romance of progress” and in conclusion suggests a revision in order to tell a more authentic and fulfilling story of Air and Space.
6. Neal, V. (2014). Discovery: Champion of the space shuttle fleet. Quarto Publishing Group USA.
This book introduces space shuttle technology with a focus on Space Shuttle Discovery, fitting it in the timeline of the space shuttle program. The missions are presented in order, each with a brief description of the mission and its patch, a crew portrait and a few photos commemorating the mission. Most important to the subject of data is that each page also contains a chart of the mission’s key statistics such as dates, ration, altitude and payloads. The book comprises large pages with full color printing and visually appealing layouts that capture the reader’s attention. Many of the facts and information would be much more dry and difficult to understand if it were presented in a text-only format.
7. Schneider, D. (2003). First in Flight? American Scientist, 91(6), 501-502.
In this article in the American Scientist, David Schneider covers the commemoration of the centennial of the Write brothers’ “famous first flight in 1903.” He describes a special exhibition to be displayed at the National Air and Space Museum and a repeat performance on the exact 100th anniversary on December 17th at Kitty Hawk. Despite all this, he goes on to discuss the beginnings of human flight, which originated before the time of the Wright brothers’ whose name we have come to associate with “first in flight.” A better title to him would be, “First in Sustained, Piloted, Controlled, Powered, Heavier-than-Air Flight of Lasting Technological Significance.”
Photo Credits:
[1] Musical Data Visualization: http://visual.ly/musical-data-visualization
[2] Color Emotion Guide: http://visual.ly/color-emotion-guide
[3] Color Preferences: http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html#favbygender
Let There Be Sight 