This document summarizes the goals and agenda for a data visualization barcamp on May 7th 2011 in Amsterdam. The event aims to foster skill sharing and collaboration between participants with different backgrounds in data, visuals, software and hardware. Recent trends that enable new possibilities for interactive and connected data visualizations on the web using open data sources and modern browser capabilities will be discussed. The agenda includes lightning talks, demonstrations, breakout groups and hacking sessions to explore visualization tools and collaborate on projects.

1. Data Visualization BarCamp
7 May 2011, Mediamatic, Amsterdam
Goals & Collaboration: Why are we here?
Dan Brickley <danbri@danbri.org>
Saturday, 7 May 2011

2. Skill swap...
• some of us are good with numbers and data
• some are good with visuals and interaction
• some of us with software or hardware
• there’s always more to learn
The Web is evolving fast, and now is a
great time to share what we know...
Saturday, 7 May 2011

3. me
• These slides prove I’m not a visuals guy
• Background in Web data standards (W3C)
• Before that, educational technology
• Here from mixed feelings: so much is
becoming possible, so much still to learn
Saturday, 7 May 2011

4. Saturday, 7 May 2011

5. More proof
• Back in late ‘90s PCs and browsers were slow
• Open data was hard to find online
• Limited options for interactivity and ‘sharing’
• Building blocks were quite primitive
So much has changed even in last 3 years...
Saturday, 7 May 2011

6. Web today: 3 trends
• Zero-installation browser-based apps
• New browser support for 2D & 3D graphics
• Open data, big data, social data, linked data...
Saturday, 7 May 2011

7. Quick quiz
Saturday, 7 May 2011

8. gapminder.org
Saturday, 7 May 2011

9. Who knew these are available to all in Google spreadsheets?
Saturday, 7 May 2011

10. Raw Materials
• modern browers can control your 3d card
• they can ask you where you are (and facing)
• play & process video, including from camera(s)
• negotiate access to Web-hosted data
• make use of 1000s of free software libraries
Saturday, 7 May 2011

11. A quick look at WebGL
Saturday, 7 May 2011

12. Saturday, 7 May 2011

13. Saturday, 7 May 2011

14. Saturday, 7 May 2011

15. The data story
• It’s not just that your Web browser can
make spinny shiny 3D skeletons
• ...but that it has access to all public medical
resources in the world
• Not that it can make a 3D Twitter globe;
but that Twitter ‘who follows who’ fits on a
data stick.
• And that you can rent 100 servers at
Amazon EC2 to process it, bought as easily
as a book.
Saturday, 7 May 2011

16. Big data, little data
• 6.5G: 1.47 ‘follows’ links from 41.7 million
Twitter users (via an.kaist.ac.kr)
• 2.6G: English Wikipedia (2007 snapshot)
• Data access standards maturing (long list of
acronyms go here)
• From e-Gov to Twitter, museums to maps,
vast datasets are now available and
increasingly interlinked...
Saturday, 7 May 2011

17. Not just that LinkedIn make these great maps...
...but that gephi.org is free for anyone to try the same
Saturday, 7 May 2011

18. Contributing
• Just knowing that “Motion charts” are there in
Google Spreadsheets
• Or about progress with WebGL + Javascript 3D
• Or how to access data from various sites
• Or that Gephi is the tool LinkedIn maps used
...can give us basics for collaboration and exploration
(here today if you want to hack and try things, or later...)
Saturday, 7 May 2011

19. Collaborating
• Looking for lightning talks, hands-on demos
• ‘Things that worked’ / ‘things that didn’t’
• Breakout groups - make use of the space
• Hack, chat, collaborate or listen
• If you figure something out later, please
share what you learned in the Web...
Saturday, 7 May 2011

20. Saturday, 7 May 2011

21. Saturday, 7 May 2011