Visualizing uncertainty / Aakanksha Angra, Stephanie M. Gardner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Angra, Aakanksha, author.

Gardner, Stephanie M., author.

Series:

Student success.

SAGE skills: student success

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Information visualization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles, CA : SAGE Publications, Inc., 2022.

Summary:

From the moment we wake up, we consume various types of information to make the best decisions for ourselves. Dressing according to the weather forecast, taking the shortest route to work, and using apps to monitor our sleep, health, and mood are just a few examples of how we utilize data to make informed decisions. The information we use to make these decisions often uses visualizations of data to complement written descriptions of information. Data visualizations are an efficient way to summarize and display a large amount of sometimes complex information in a concise and clear manner. However, to be a competent and critical consumer of information in data visualizations, you should understand the different types, their purposes and their limitations, and that whoever created the visualization did so with a specific goal in mind. Data visualizations come in a variety of types, each with advantages and limitations in what it can reveal to the viewer. Therefore, understanding different types of data visualizations allows the creator to choose forms that can highlight different facets of the data depending on the purpose of creating the visualization. In addition, the choice of data visualization will affect what others can observe in the data. We are increasingly a data-rich world in which data of a variety of types can be easily generated, gathered, and shared. Nearly everything we do, especially if it involves interfacing with computers and the Internet, generates data. Further, more and more people are participating in the generation and gathering of data. Together with the increase in publicly available data, we are awash with data that can be used to make sense of the world around us and make decisions. And anyone can use data visualizations! They are not specific or exclusive to any one field or group of people. Data visualizations are common, everyday parts of communication that are seen in news stories and advertisements on TV, on social media, and in print. These types of data visualizations are often created specifically to communicate with the public. Any highly technical language and symbols are minimized to improve broad understanding. Students from elementary school to university settings use them in their classrooms and textbooks. However, graphs are part of the language of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as history, social science, economics, and more. When used by professionals in these fields to communicate with each other, data visualizations are often more complex and made in a way that assumes a high level of specific knowledge that can be used to understand what is displayed. After working through this Skill, you should be equipped with foundational knowledge of strategies for understanding and being critical readers of common data visualizations.

Notes:

Publication: Evaluating Data Visualizations.

Description based on: online resource; title from PDF information screen (SAGE, viewed December 23, 2022).

ISBN:

1-0718-9970-8

9781071899700

OCLC:

1341667891