This week's theme: data visualization (overused term, but an important concept)
VISUALIZATION TOOLS
Over the past few weeks I've been working on data visualizations for a project at my day job. For prior projects, I had been using the "motion charts" Google gadget to make interactive graphics, but that tool (sadly) has been disabled.
In my search for a replacement, I learned about a wide variety of free online data visualization tools. A few resources worth noting are: Weave, Tableau, and Datawrapper. All three allow users to develop interactive charts and graphs. Tableau and Weave also offer mapping capabilities.
And if those options still don't fit your needs, try this directory of about a dozen other tools worth further exploration.
VISUAL EXPLORATION OF DATA
Sinan Aral's article in Harvard Business Review explains how the New York Times uses visual representations of data to understand patterns that a simple table might not illuminate...
BEST CHART OF THE WEEK
I'm a fan of images that convey a wealth of information with a simple concept. Population-adjusted country size maps, when done well, can do just that...
Source: Gizmodo |