Data Visualization

I think it is remarkable how far data visualization has come. The video said the first step was in cartography when people carved maps into stones and now Google Maps is the most widely seen visualization. This is an example of how visualization is used to do something and communicate information easily and quickly. Whenever I am traveling to a new address I look up the location on Google Maps. The street view tool is extremely handy because it puts the viewer in the location. Maps are unique because they can represent an infinite amount of information from street layout to types of residents. Maps can also be beautiful because of the different colors to represent data.

Data visualization works because is transfers data quickly. There is a lot of information that is organized in a way that communicates the meaning rapidly and is aesthetically pleasing. Our brain is used to making snap decisions and one of the most efficient ways to get meaning across is to present it in a visual format. Visual data successfully presents complicated material in a way that everyone can understand.

I remember when I was looking at colleges, there were tons of pamphlets that used data visualization to describe their school. Colorful charts and images made it easier to remember and retain information about each school.

Here are two examples of data visualization. The map depicts data on the population density in the U.S. and the scatterplot shows data about the types of students that apply to Loyola Maryland. Both are easy to interpret.