ESS Visualisation Workshop 2016. Valencia. May 17-18, 2016. Abstract Data visualizations are a powerful way to display and communicate data that otherwise would be impossible to transmit in effective and concise ways. The spread of broadband Internet, the easier access to reusable datasets, the rise in read/write digital media literacies, and the lower barrier to generate data visualizations are making mass media to intensively use of infographics. Newspaper and online news sites are taking advantage of new, affordable and easy to access data visualization tools to broadcast their messages. How can these new tools and opportunities be used effectively? What are good practices regarding data visualization for a general audience? After an introduction to a series of key concepts about visualizing data the lecture will follow with an analysis of a series of significant data visualizations (tables, pie and bar charts, maps and other systems) from TV, daily newspapers and news websites to detect good and bad practices when visualizing statistical information. The lecturer will then analyze recent literature of visualization studies regarding persuasion, memorability and comprehension. What are more effective embellished or minimal data visualizations? Does graphical presentation of data make a message more persuasive? The lecture will finish with a list of recommendations and accessible tools to plan and develop successful data visualizations.

1. Uses and abuses of data
visualizations in mass media
ESS Visualisation Workshop 2016
Valencia. May 17-18, 2016.
#ESSvisualisation
Pablo Rey Maz nó
@numeroteca
numeroteca.org
pablo@montera34.com
Montera34
montera34.com
Open Evidence
open-evidence.com
Slides bit.ly/datavisabuse

2. AlltheNews(andAds)That’sFittoPrint
http://numeroteca.org/2013/06/23/all-the-news-and-ads-thats-ft-to-print/
News media are not neutral

3. Data visualizations are cultural artifacts.
They are subjective as we must distort and simplify reality.
There are white lies, misuses and... lies.
Nobody is neutral.

4. Dataviz in Mass media
News media want to tell a story…
and show the context
Video: http://graphics.wsj.com/countdown-to-a-greek-showdown/

5. http://info.ils.indiana.edu/~katy/S637-S11/gershon01.pdf

6. Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen.
https://youtu.be/RUwS1uAdUcI

7. (news media)
… and let you explore the data.

8. For collaborative journalism.
exploration.

9. http://www.elconfidencial.com/economia/papeles-panama/2016-04-03/papeles-panama-papers-interactivo-politicos-internacionales-sociedades-offshore_1177852/
Panama Papers

10. Above all:
Show me the data!

11. 1. Data visualization Key concepts
(tuftean way)
+ Data-ink ratio
+ Chart Junk
+ Data Density

12. http://www.perceptualedge.com/example6.php
Data-Ink ratio

13. = proportion of a graphic's ink
devoted to the non-redundant
display of data information
Data-ink ratio =
data-ink
total ink used to print a graphic
Image: http://scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9824&context=theses

14. Data-ink Ratio and Task Complexity in Graph Comprehension. Kevin McCurgan
http://scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9824&context=theses

15. Chart junk
What you should erase.
http://www.elsalmoncontracorriente.es/?El-bombardeo-comercial-de-las

16. Data density
data density of a graphic =
number of entries
in data matrix
area of data graphic
Example by Stephen Few.

17. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/us/census-race-map.html
1 dot = 60 people

18. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/us/census-race-map.html

19. 2. Review of data visualization types
with examples

20. Data tables
Tables work best when
+ It is used to look up individual values
+ Data must be precise
+ You must include multiple units of measure
+ You wish to show both details and their sums
Slide borrowed from Stephen Few.

21. Stephen Few. Show me the numbers.
Tables also need to be properly designed!

22. Change order of the rows!
Datatables.
Free software available at http://datatables.net/

23. http://www.eldiario.es/gastos_tarjetas_black/GRAFICO-extractos-responsables-Caja-Madrid_0_312169637.html

24. Black Credit Cards analysis of type of spending
http://numeroteca.org/tarjetasblack

25. Black Credit Cards analysis of type of spending
http://numeroteca.org/tarjetasblack

26. Banks Market value
Example by Alberto Cairo. Visualizar. 2011
Understanding areas

27. Societ G n rale Market valueé é é
Example by Alberto Cairo. Visualizar. 2011

28. Societ G n rale Market valueé é é
Example by Alberto Cairo. Visualizar. 2011

29. Example by Alberto Cairo. Visualizar. 2011

30. Tree maps
and sankey
diagrams
Public sepnding.
Material transparency
https://presupuestos.gobierto.es/places/madrid/2015

31. Where does my money go?
http://wheredoesmymoneygo.org

32. http://Kulturometer.org
Cognitive transparency

33. Spain is in 2013 the mayor wine
producer in the world

35. Bar charts
Useful Junk? The Effects of Visual Embellishment on Comprehension
and Memorability of Charts
http://ww.w.cedma-europe.org/newsletter%20articles/misc/The%20Effects%20of%20Visual%20Embellishment%20on%20Comprehension%20and%20Memorability%20of%20Charts.pdf

36. Bar charts
By Spanish Public Television. TVE.
Evolution of unemployment in August

37. Displayed on TV
All the data
Evolution of
unemployment
in August

38. Be careful with multivariable graphics
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21660550-growth-has-returned-dangers-still-lurk-back-its-feet

39. Film Dialogue from 2,000 screenplays
Broken Down by Gender and Age
http://polygraph.cool/films/

41. Data maps
Maps are great data visualizations to show geospatial
data, but they have to be used carefully.
+ Chorophlet maps
+ Bubbles maps

42. Chorophlet
map
“Chorophlet wrongly equate the visual importance of
each country with its geographic area rather than with
the number of people living in the country”. Tufte

43. John Snow 1854.

44. How to lie with maps. Monmonier
Depends where
the boundaries
are drawn.

45. Depends on how you color the map.

46. Select a good color scale!
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/mapToolClosed.do?tab=map&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tsdde220&toolbox=types

48. http://cartodb.github.io/labs-colorscales/

49. The winer takes it all problem in election maps.
http://datos.elespanol.com/elecciones-generales/resultados/congreso/

51. http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/12/18/media/1450461184_895079.html

54. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/RSI/#?vis=nuts2.population&lang=en
Eruostat: data and distibution plot. Population.

55. Bubble maps
Femicide map in Turkey
http://kadincinayetleri.org/

56. http://especiais.g1.globo.com/politica/mapa-manifestacoes-no-brasil/17-04-2016/contra/

57. http://xkcd.com/1138/

58. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/BubbleChart/?lg=en#tableCode=pat_ep_ntec

59. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/BubbleChart/?lg=en#tableCode=pat_ep_ntec

60. Recommendations and tools
Think what you need to tell. What, whom, where?
Select type of visualization.
Do not let the tool take decisions for you.
Show context. Show the data
Use of multiple skills: statisticians, designers,
Journalists, developers, artists.
Tell a story or allow others tell a story.…

61. Uses and abuses of data
visualizations in mass media
ESS Visualisation Workshop 2016
Valencia. May 17-18, 2016. #ESSvisualisation
Pablo Rey Maz nó
@numeroteca
numeroteca.org
Montera34
montera34.com
Open Evidence
open-evidence.com
pablo@montera34.com
Questions!
bit.ly/datavisabuse

62. Show me the data

64. Show me the data

65. https://robots.thoughtbot.com/analyzing-minards-visualization-of-napoleons-1812-march

66. Show me the data!

67. Show me the data
but tell me a story!

68. Show me the data
but tell me a story
with an image!