Visual Insights: A Practical Guide to Making Sense of Data Author: Katy B?rner | Language: English | ISBN:
0262526190 | Format: EPUB
Visual Insights: A Practical Guide to Making Sense of Data Description
In the age of Big Data, the tools of information visualization offer us a macroscope to help us make sense of the avalanche of data available on every subject. This book offers a gentle introduction to the design of insightful information visualizations. It is the only book on the subject that teaches nonprogrammers how to use open code and open data to design insightful visualizations. Readers will learn to apply advanced data mining and visualization techniques to make sense of temporal, geospatial, topical, and network data. The book, developed for use in an information visualization MOOC, covers data analysis algorithms that enable extraction of patterns and trends in data, with chapters devoted to "when" (temporal data), "where" (geospatial data), "what" (topical data), and "with whom" (networks and trees); and to systems that drive research and development. Examples of projects undertaken for clients include an interactive visualization of the success of game player activity in World of Warcraft; a visualization of 311 number adoption that shows the diffusion of non-emergency calls in the United States; a return on investment study for two decades of HIV/AIDS research funding by NIAID; and a map showing the impact of the HiveNYC Learning Network. Visual Insights will be an essential resource on basic information visualization techniques for scholars in many fields, students, designers, or anyone who works with data.
- Paperback: 312 pages
- Publisher: The MIT Press (January 24, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0262526190
- ISBN-13: 978-0262526197
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
FULL DISCLOSURE: I received an advanced copy of this book. I wrote a blurb for it, which I'm copying below:
"In the world of visualization and information graphics, the bibliography about thematic maps and statistical graphs is becoming abundant, little by little. However, studies of how to design network diagrams and conceptual maps are rare, and usually available only through scientific publications. Katy Börner and David Polley's book is the first serious attempt at offering a theoretical and practical introduction to this discipline, aimed not just at specialists, but at any reader, regardless of her or his background. I foresee that it'll become the textbook of choice for many instructors."
Don't expect an introduction to the main principles of information design. I believe that the authors assume that whoever is reading this book will come to it with some previous exposure to the basics of the field. Instead, Visual Insights is much more focused on conceptual maps, thematic cartography, and network visualizations, which is great, as there are not many books out there that cover those. Besides being readable, by the way, the book is also beautiful to look at.
By Alberto Cairo Touriqo
This is a clear text with great diagrams and accompanying graphs, appropriate for those interested in info vis or taking Indiana University's Information Visualization MOOC.
By Solipsistic
Visual Insights: A Practical Guide to Making Sense of Data Preview
Link
Please Wait...