Data Darlings

Some time ago I watched a TEDTalk about data visualization, featuring David McCandless (2010). He is a data journalist and information designer whose company Information is Beautiful creates some really gorgeous infographics.

One example is the recent "Billion Dollar-O-Gram 2013: Global Figures", which shows international money movement in terms of earning, spending, giving, and a number of other categories (the winner in giving is the global healthcare budget, ringing in at $5700 billion, the biggest loser is the global financial crisis at $15000 billion, and the winner in "hustling" is money in offshore tax havens, at $21000 billion) (2013). Most startling is how little is spent in global healthcare, compared with the losses and gains in other areas.

I think that data visualizations are a really creative way to make sense of information which can often be challenging to comprehend, including very large numbers, like in the example above. They are well created integrations of skillfully executed visuals, and statistics which might provoke a certain intense emotional response (shock, surprise, laughter, etc.). Data visualizations are intended to facilitate a more effective relationship between people and information (often statistics), in which there is some sort of deeper connection (infusing information with a new kind of appeal). While I realize that my observation is not fully formed, I think there is much to explore regarding the relationships of statistics, computer science, math, art, and the emotional connections.

References

McCandless, D. (2010, July). David McCandless: The Beauty of Data Visualization [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/playlists/56/making_sense_of_too_much_data.html

McCandless, D. (2013). Billion Dollar-O-Gram: Global Figures. Retrieved from http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/billion-dollar-o-gram-2013/