{"id":20944,"date":"2021-07-14T21:42:12","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T21:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studioventuras.com\/data-visualization-and-interactivity\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T20:38:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T20:38:58","slug":"data-visualization-and-interactivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studioventuras.com\/en\/data-visualization-and-interactivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Data visualization and interactivity"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The way you visualize, interact with and perceive a piece of information can be the difference in being able to understand and assimilate that information. You’ve probably been to an exhibition or a museum, or even used apps and websites with graphs, maps, timelines, diagrams, or any other playful resource that helped you better understand what was being shown. <\/p>\n

The idea of data visualization emerged in the 1760s, but intensified in the following century. From the 20th century onwards, this type of art already had an impact on science, technology and social movements, making the world seen and understood in the light of different sources of knowledge. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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“There’s a magic in information graphics. Maps float you above the earth for a bird’s eye view. Timelines organize memories on the page for all to see. Diagrams reveal the insides without the need for disassembly or incision”<\/a><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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We can see some examples in history: did you know that the word statistics comes from the Latin expression statisticum collegium<\/i>, which relates to the analysis of state affairs? The earliest statistical charts examined the territory, population and monetary powers of states. As more data was collected, with greater detail and specificity, its visualization contributed to social science and public health, promoting a better understanding of geography, economics and the many dimensions of human life. <\/p>\n

Even in wars and social causes, data plays an extremely important role – in the civil war in the United States, abolitionists used the census to map the African-American population and then, over the years, to further characterize the newly emancipated. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Proportion of colored population, 1880 US census. Henry Gannett, <\/span> USCensus Office <\/span> United States 1883, New York. Credit: Stanford <\/span>Libraries<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Trying to unravel data and what it represents is a task that, despite seeming complicated, becomes much simpler when it is clearly visualized and when interactive means are applied. So let’s find out a little more about what is meant by data and how interactive tools help people relate to it! <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What is it?<\/em><\/h2>\n

Data is basically a fact that seeks to convey some information. Since the dawn of humanity, human beings have used various ways to record events and knowledge, with drawings in caves, texts on parchment, letters and books. Nowadays, most of what we are and what we do is stored digitally. <\/p>\n

It is with technology that it becomes easier to display data in an interactive way: with the use of data analysis software, it is possible to create a visualization in which users can manipulate and explore the information through interactive tools, so that they can see more details, question and capture what it really means.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Imagine you’re in an exhibition about carbon dioxide emissions – there are graphs and maps with lots of data about it. There’s also a panel for you to find out your carbon footprint, i.e. how much you contribute to the emission of this gas through your daily activities, such as the number of portions of coffee you consume per week and the household appliances you use. All this makes the data clearer for the user, because they can apply it to their reality. <\/p>\n

The cool thing is that the experience of interacting with this information ends up being unique for each user, since we all have different lives and interests and will relate to the data in a specific and unique way.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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There are many possibilities: interactivity can be visual, sensory, immersive, with technological equipment… a variety of playful means capable of interacting with the human brain. <\/p>\n

To develop interactive elements for data visualization, you need to assess what information there is and how to present it to the recipient. How can the data be presented to ensure that the user can easily understand it? Will interactions help improve understanding? <\/p>\n

Like any project, it needs to be tested, and the user’s opinion will be taken into account. The idea is to build something that facilitates learning, so those who are learning need to say whether the objective is being achieved. <\/p>\n

Interactive data is a great alternative for disseminating knowledge — most people are visual, because the human brain processes images faster than text. Thus, the user is able to interpret and establish a cause-effect relationship with the information displayed. Images and interactivity have the power to uncomplicate complex data, bringing it closer to what people already know and understand. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Examples<\/em><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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1. Earth Bits<\/h3>\n

Remember the exhibition on carbon dioxide emissions we mentioned up there? It exists. It’s Earth Bits – Sensing the Planetary, by Dotdotdot. In fact, it is not limited to the problem of carbon dioxide, but explores the principles of energy transition and the climate crisis as a whole, analyzing the relationship between people and the planet. Her aim is to understand the repercussions of human choices and the impact our actions have on the environment. <\/p>\n

Visitors can interact with the information through animated graphics and videos based on scientific evidence, with the interactive station allowing them to tinker with the data, guided by sounds and a wallpaper painted with satellite data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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2. COVID-19 in the world<\/h3>\n

With the pandemic, thousands of data points have emerged on COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world. In the dashboard developed by the CSSE (Center for Systems Science and Engineering) at Johns Hopkins University, it is possible to see how each country is dealing with the disease, including the number of vaccine doses applied. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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3. Banksy Graffiti Around the World<\/h3>\n

This map showing Banksy’s graffiti around the world was created by Andr\u00e9 Oliveira. You click on the place and you can see the artwork there, and there’s also a story about how the work was done (of course, nothing is confirmed, since, as everyone knows, Banksy is a mystery!). The design is all reminiscent of the artist’s work, which helps the visualization come to life. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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