TOOLS, TIPS & RESOURCES RESEARCH AND ARTICLES ARTICLES & HOW-TO GUIDES Best of the Visualization VisualisingData.com s collection of the best data visualization articles and resources on the web. SOURCE Visualising Data LINK visualisingdata.com/index.php/2013/10/best-of-the-visualisation-web-august-2013/ How Foursquare Made Those Insane Data Visualizations Discussion of how data scientists at FourSquare attempted to capture the rhythm of human activities in major cities. SOURCE Fast Company LINK fastcolabs.com/3019608/how-foursquare-made-those-insane-data-visualizations?partner=rss The Psychology of Color Quick reference to the mood, emotions, and physiological reactions inspired by various colors. SOURCE Carey Jolliffe Graphic Arts LINK cjolliffe.com/resources/cjga-color-theory.pdf 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics Overview of the science behind what makes data visualizations so appealing to the human mind. SOURCE NeoMam Studios LINK neomam.com/interactive/13reasons/ BLOGS, LIBRARIES, AND OTHER RESOURCES Flowing Data A blog that explores how designers, statisticians, and computer scientists use data to understand the world better. LINK flowingdata.com/ Stanford Data Visualization Group Investigates the perceptual, cognitive, and social factors involved in making sense of large data collections, and developing novel interactive systems for visual analysis and communication. SOURCE Stanford University LINK vis.stanford.edu/ TOOLS AND SOFTWARE MAPPING AND GEOGRAPHY Exhibit Exhibit makes it easy to create interactive maps, and other data-based visualizations that are orientated towards teaching or static/historical based data sets, such as flags pinned to countries, or birth-places of famous people. SOURCE Massachusetts Institute of Technology LINK simile-widgets.org/exhibit/
CHARTS AND GRAPHS Leaflet Makes it easy to use OpenStreetMap data and integrate fully interactive data visualization in an 5/CSS3 wrapper. The core library itself is very small, but there are a wide range of plugins available that extend the functionality with specialist functionality such as animated markers, masks and heatmaps. LINK leafletjs.com/ Modest Maps A lightweight, simple mapping tool for web designers that makes it easy to integrate and develop interactive maps within your site, using them as a data visualization tool. The basic library can also be extended with additional plugins, adding to its core functionality and offering useful data integration options. LINK modestmaps.com/ Google Charts An especially useful tool for specialist visualizations such as geocharts and gauges. It also includes built-in animation and user interaction controls. SOURCE Google LINK developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/ Many Eyes Lets you upload your own data or use data already stored on the site. The visualizations themselves are well-designed and very professional-looking. SOURCE IBM LINK (V1) www-958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/ LINK (V2 BETA) www-958.ibm.com/software/analytics/labs/manyeyes/ D3 Generator This code generator helps you get off the ground quickly by automatically producing source code templates for various bar chart configurations. LINK http://d3-generator.com/ NVD3 This project is an attempt to build re-usable charts and chart components for d3.js without taking away the power that d3.jsgives you. LINK http://nvd3.org/index.html ALL-IN-ONE TOOLS AND WIZARDS Easel.ly A theme-based, drag-and-drop WYSIWYG approach to infographic creation. LINK easel.ly 2
EWCPresenter Another online tool for creating infographics of professional quality. In this tool you will find all the data representation methods already embedded in the themes so users just need to enter the values. LINK ewcpresenter.com/ Infoactive Infoactive brings a WYSIWYG approach to data visualization. However, unlike other sites, Infoactive allows you to integrate live data streams. LINK infoactive.co/ Infogr.am Simple, but the features it does have are power-packed. For instance, you can make more than 30 different types of charts (compared to 11 in Excel). LINK infogr.am Stat Silk A web-based as well as a desktop tool for creating visualizations and visual mapping for easy data analysis. LINK statsilk.com Windows OSX Linux Visual.ly A combined gallery and infographic generation tool. It offers a simple toolset for building data representations, as well as a platform to share your creations. LINK visual.ly JAVA SCRIPT LIBRARIES D3.js A JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. D3 helps you bring data to life using, SVG and CSS. LINK d3js.org/ Flot A pure JavaScript plotting library for jquery, with a focus on simple usage, attractive looks and interactive features. LINK flotcharts.org/ Highcharts A JavaScript charting library with a huge range of chart options available. LINK highcharts.com/ jpgraph A PHP-based solution with a wide range of chart types. It s free for non-commercial use, and features extensive documentation. LINK highcharts.com/ PHP/ 3
Raphaël A small JavaScript library that should simplify your work with vector graphics on the web. If you want to create your own specific chart or image crop and rotate widget, for example, you can achieve it simply and easily with this library. SOURCE Sencha Labs LINK raphaeljs.com/ PHOTO, GRAPHICS AND ILLUSTRATION Inkscape A vector graphic software available for many platforms. This is the ideal free option for the creation of your overall infographic. LINK inkscape.org Pixlr Pixlr is an online photo editor. Edit, adjust and filter your images. No registration required. LINK pixlr.com Windows OSX Linux OTHER Freebase A large collaborative knowledge base consisting of metadata composed mainly by its community members. LINK freebase.com Google Public Data Lets you easily take public data and transform it into an infographic of your choice so you can simplify and communicate the data. LINK google.com/publicdata/directory Timeline A tool that enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines. Beginners can create a timeline using nothing more than a Google spreadsheet. Experts can use their JSON skills to create custom installations, while keeping TimelineJS s core look and functionality. SOURCE Knight Lab, Northwestern University LINK timeline.knightlab.com/ Texas A&M GeoServices Offers a number of geographic information processing services to assist in geospatial-related research and data processing, analysis, and visualization. SOURCE Texas A&M LINK http://geoservices.tamu.edu 4
Wordle Lets you create word visualisations using text you enter. Enter whole books, short passages or browse examples from other users. LINK wordle.net/ INSPIRATION AND IDEAS Best of the Visualization VisualisingData.com s collection of the best visualizations on the web. SOURCE Visualising Data LINK visualisingdata.com/index.php/2013/10/best-of-the-visualisation-web-august-2013 Census Dot Map Iconic data visualization portraying the ethnic background of each person recorded in the 2010 United States Census. SOURCE The Racial Dot Map One Dot Per Person for the Entire U.S. LINK demographics.coopercenter.org/dotmap/index.html Climate change: how hot will it get in my lifetime? Interactive examination of the predicted impact of climate change on global temperatures. SOURCE The Guardian LINK theguardian.com/environment/interactive/2013/sep/27/climate-change-how-hot-lifetime-interactive Dialect Survey Maps Using data from Bert Vaux s dialect survey, these interactive maps examine regional dialect variation in the continental United States. SOURCE NC State University LINK spark.rstudio.com/jkatz/surveymaps Fast Company Infographic of the Day Featured data visualizations from the editors of Fast Company magazine. SOURCE Fast Company LINK fastcompany.com/section/infographic-of-the-day Gap Minder Made famous by his series of data-driven TEDTalks, Gap Minder is Hans Rosling s showcase of his work visualizing data to provide a fact-based view of the world. LINK gapminder.org Information is Beautiful Blog dedicated to distilling the world s data, information and knowledge into beautiful, interesting and, above all, useful visualizations, infographics and diagrams. LINK informationisbeautiful.net Prepared by: HomeBase Legal and Technical Assistance Advancing Solutions to Homelessness info@homebaseccc.org (415) 788-7961 870 Market Street, Suite 1228, San Francisco, CA 94102 2014 Annual Conference 2014 Annual Sacramento, Conference CA April Sacramento, 15-17 CA April 15-17 5