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22 AUG | intro
27 AUG | clients
29 AUG | servers
05 Sep | networks
10 Sep | basics lab
12 Sep | structural layer
17 Sep | presentational layer
19 Sep | working with layers
24 Sep | behavior layer
26 Sep | images & design
01 Oct | website lab
03 Oct | object layers
08 Oct | graphics
10 Oct | document markup lab
15 Oct | spreadsheets |
17 Oct | formulas & functions |
22 Oct | thoughts about data display |
creating graphical data displays |
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18 Oct | Fall Break
24 Oct | database tools
29 Oct | spreadsheets lab
31 Oct | relational databases
05 Nov | tables
07 Nov | relationships
12 Nov | input & output
14 Nov | SQL
19 Nov | complex queries
26 Nov | databases lab
21 Nov | Thanksgiving
28 Nov | presentation design
03 Dec | presentation delivery
05 Dec | presentation lab
12 Dec | 0800-1100 | final in class presentation
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The history of data visualization is not extremely long.
There are a few names to know and things to think about.
Quoting Edward Tufte in the Introduction of The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Data graphics visually display measured quantities by means of the combined use of points, lines, a coordinate system, numbers, symbols, words, shading, and color ... Modern data graphics can do much more than simply substitute for small statistical tables. At their best, graphics are instruments for reasoning about quantitative information. Often the most effective way to describe, explore and summarize a set of numbers - even a very large set - is to look at pictures of those numbers. Furthermore, of all methods for analyzing and communicating statistical information, well-designed graphics are usually the simplest and at the same time the most powerful.
Visualization of data has a long history, but the addition of more powerful computing and newer programs has given us the opportunity to display data in ways that are enlightening.
How to Lie with Statistics and The Best and Worst of Statistical Graphics by Michael Friendly at York University, Canada
Jacques Bertin and his classic book, The Semiology of Graphics
Edward Tufte and his three classics
Scholars at York University in Canada have put together a useful gallery of good methods of display and also of ideas to avoid
Lessons for data analysts from the Challenger disaster tells us good data display could be a life or death issue.
But there are always several different ways to view the same situation and not everyone agrees with Tufte.
Let's re-iterate our points again.