This document discusses the importance and advantages of data visualization. It notes that we are suffering from information overload and that visualizing data can help filter it. Visualizing data turns it into an "information map" that we can explore with our eyes, allowing us to focus only on important patterns and relationships that may not be obvious otherwise. The document provides examples of how visualization clarifies information quickly and elegantly solves problems. It also discusses how the eyes are highly sensitive to visual patterns and that visualization can be used to depict not just numbers but also ideas and concepts.