Journey of Data Visualization

Sep 18, 2024

Introduction to Data Visualization and Design

Brief History of Data Visualization

  • Ambitious Attempt: Trying to provide a history of data visualization, recognizing that its history is very Eurocentric.

Emergence of Data

  • 300 BC: Euclid’s book, Data Menai, introduces the concept of data as "something given."
  • Importance: Establishes the idea of data as a collection of observations, enabling visualization.

Measurements and Standardization

  • 17th Century: Introduction of measurement tables across Western Europe, especially Germany.
    • Table Structure: A discovery that informs the conceptualization of modern data sets.
    • Gabriel de Mouton (1670): Proposed a measurement system based on the Earth's size, leading to the meter.

Exploration and Challenges

  • Longitude Problem: Difficulty in measuring longitude without a zero point.
    • Van Langren’s Graph: Visualizes uncertainty in measurements between cities.

Evolution of Data Visualization

18th Century Developments

  • Line Graphs: Introduced by Francis Huckabee.
  • Color Systems: The emergence of systems to order colors, leading to modern color scales in visualization.
  • Timelines: Visualizing various events concurrently on the y-axis.

Storytelling and Visualization

  • Joseph Priestley:
    • Biographical Charts: Using line length to represent lifespan, incorporating uncertainty.
    • Historical Charts: Visualizing historical interactions across regions and time.
  • William Playfair: Introduced bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and circle charts.

19th Century: Statistics and Morality

Key Figures and Innovations

  • John Snow (1854): Cholera map using bar charts on street maps, foundational for epidemiological mapping.
  • Florence Nightingale (1858): Nightingale Rose to support military sanitation improvements.
  • Charles Menard: Flow maps with multiple variables, depicting Napoleon's army movements.

20th Century and Beyond

Modern Tools and Innovations

  • 1977: John Tukey introduced the box plot, important for statistical data analysis.
  • Contemporary Visualization: Emergence of computer-based tools like Tableau.
    • Tableau: Provides accessibility in data visualization and storytelling.
    • Course Focus: Responsible data handling, accurate storytelling, and design principles.

Course Overview

  • Goal: Focuses on responsible data use, storytelling through data, and design choices in visualization.

This history outlines the evolution from basic data collection and measurement to modern visual storytelling and interactive tools. It emphasizes the importance of design principles and responsible data handling in contemporary data visualization practice. Looking forward to exploring these concepts further throughout the semester!