What’s Data Viz?

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Data visualization converts text data into easily understood images. Examples include navigation systems, business health dashboards, weather reports, traffic reports, and air traffic control systems. It helps humans understand complex data relationships and identify problems quickly.

Data analysis is a process that requires reviewing data to determine trends and anomalies for a business. This is a daunting task because large datasets are usually presented in a spreadsheet format. Data visualization is the process of converting standard text data into images that are easily understood by a general audience. These images typically include color-coded abstract objects, shapes, and graphics based on the meaning of the data.

A good example of data visualization in practice is in an automotive navigation system. These systems are widely used today as an intuitive method of providing directions to drivers. This software provides graphical road maps that detail turn-by-turn directions. These road maps are easier to understand than written directions because they provide a visual map representing coordinates.

Many companies use data visualization as a tool to provide status on critical projects. This is often referred to as a business health dashboard. The dashboard provides vital statistics on the company’s goals, expenses, and overall stability. Having a dashboard helps senior managers by quickly providing graphs that indicate problems within the company. These charts can be presented in a red and green light format, making them easy to understand.

The scientific community has been using data visualization techniques for many decades to solve complex problems. This is often found in weather programs and seismic activity monitoring systems. Providing complex data elements in a graphical image makes it easier for humans to understand the relevance and relationships of data.

The daily weather report is another practical example of data visualization. Most television weather reports present the weather with graphical representations of rain, wind, and snow. These maps are layered with images of the global jet stream and temperatures to present a comprehensive view of the weather. Without visualization, this information would be difficult to understand.
Traffic reports online use data visualization techniques to indicate traffic congestion in most cities. This report is typically presented with car graphics and uses color to indicate average speed. The normal color scheme for this information is green, yellow, and red. A traffic alert system user can quickly identify congestion problems by looking for streets highlighted in red.
An air traffic control system is another practical example of data visualization. This system is designed to show air traffic and congestion problems in the sky. The system warns users of impending problems by changing the colors of the graphic airplanes. When an aircraft is in trouble, the screen color turns red. This provides an emergency warning to the air traffic controller.




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