MSDS IST 719: Information Visualization

Information Visualization

MSDS - Q4: IST719

Description:

This course will introduce students to skills and techniques related to information visualization. In this skills-based course, students will be introduced to the R programming language, Adobe Illustrator, simple data cleaning techniques, simple design concepts and the ethics of visualizing data. The focus is on developing static data visualizations to visually explore and communicate findings using data from a variety of sources. Conceptual themes will be presented alongside technical aspects of data visualization.

Learning Objectives:

Use R to do basic data cleaning and preparation on a wide range of data sets

• Includes using functions to summarize and compare fields
• Find missing values
• Subset or filter data
• Retype data into correct format

Identify stories in data sets through exploration

• Use R to create appropriate rough plots to identify distributions and relationships in the data
• Use data sub setting and filtering to narrow in on questions of interest

Create rich visual artifacts that communicate data stories

• Identify the optimal type of visualization to minimize viewer cognitive overload and maximize image interpretability
• Enhance viewer cognition through context cues
• Use basic design principles to enhance viewer receptivity and convey meaning
• Use Adobe Illustrator to combine R data visualizations, design elements and context cues into a single artifact

Critically assess visualizations

• Interpret and analyze the meanings of data visualizations
• Identify appropriate audience
• Bring an ethics based perspective to development and interpretation of visualizations

Deliverables:

719_HW3

IST_719_FinalProject_Happiness

IST_719_HW5

IST_719_HW6

IST_719_HW6_v1

IST_719_HW6_v2

IST_719_HW7

IST_719_HW8

IST_719_all_happiness_plots

KendraOsburn_HW6

advancedtopic

advancedtopic10

advancedtopic11

advancedtopic2

advancedtopic3

advancedtopic4

advancedtopic5

advancedtopic6

advancedtopic7

advancedtopic8

advancedtopic9

advancedtopic_all

advancedtopic_all2

advancedtopic_all3

barchart

barchart2

ggplot_CH2

globalhappiness

Class Outline:

At the end of the course students will be able to

• Identify and define user needs related to visual representation
• Interpret and analyze the meanings of data visualizations and information graphics
• Design and create meaningful data visualizations
• Understand many of the ethical and social issues related to the visualization of data

Week 0

The Beauty of Data Visualization, David McCandless, TEDTalk, (Youtube)

Week 1

Visualize This: Chap 1 Visualize This: Chap 2 Visualizing Data, Fry: Chap 1 (pdf)

Week 2

Visualize This: Chap 3 Visualize This: Chap 4 Data Points: Chap 1

Week 3

Data Points: Chap 2 Data Points: Chap 3 Visualize This: Chap 4 (Illustrator) Now You See It, Few: Chap 3 (pdf)

Week 4

Data Points: Chap 4

Week 5

Visualize This: Chap 5 Visualize This: Chap 6 Now You See It, Few: Chap 4 (pdf)

Week 6

ggplot2 – Chap 2 Getting Started ggplot2 – Chap 3 Toolbox ggplot2 – Chap 4 Grammar

Week 7

ggplot2 – Chap 5 Layer by Layer ggplot2 – Chap 6 Axis & Legends ggplot2 – Chap 7 Positioning

Week 8

ggplot2 – Chap 11 Modeling

Week 9

Data Science: Chap 19

Week 10

Visualize This: Chap 8 Data Points: Chap 4, Visualizing Spatial Data

Week 11

Virtual Poster Presentation