We live in a data-rich age. There are a huge number of data sets available online that have already been carefully gathered, cleaned, and linked (often the hard part in visual analytics). If you have a hobby or specific interest, chances are the somebody, somewhere, has already put together an interesting set of data about that topic.
Below you'll find a VERY short list of some places you can go to find data. Feel free to use one (or more) of these to get inspired for your semester project. You can also search the web for "
Looking for inspiration for what you can do with all of this data? Browse some of the work that others have done on these blogs/websites: Flowing Data, Mike Bostock (creator of D3), EagerEyes, Well Formed Data, Periscopic, Statistical Graphics, The Daily Viz, Infosthetics, and Stamen Design.
Have you found a great data site that isn't on my list? Let me know and I'll add it to help other students in the future.