{"id":3197,"date":"2022-11-14T01:46:09","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T09:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/murrowcourses.com\/graphics\/?p=3197"},"modified":"2022-11-13T14:07:36","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T22:07:36","slug":"lesson-storytelling-with-data-dimensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/murrowcourses.com\/graphics\/lesson-storytelling-with-data-dimensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesson: Storytelling with Data Dimensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reviewing Data Dimensions<\/span><\/p>\n

As we talk about interactivity, it’s a good time to review the concept of visual encoding<\/strong>, which is about how visual symbols are used to represent data. Early on, we looked at four basic types: shape, line, point\/position and color. We’ve seen many ways these can be combined and used to represent data. A related concept is data dimensions<\/strong>, which has also come up in several examples and talks. A practical way to think of data dimensions is with the columns in a spreadsheet \u2014 can you represent multiple columns with a single chart? That means it has multiple data dimensions.<\/p>\n

For instance, scatterplots are known for being multidimensional. Take this New York Times scatterplot<\/a> from the reading about geographic data without maps.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

This is point data, with a point for each state. But there are multiple dimensions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Y-axis shows how a state voted in the 2008 election<\/li>\n
  2. X-axis shows how educated the residents are<\/li>\n
  3. Color represents three categories for Electoral College thresholds<\/li>\n
  4. Size of each bubble represents number of electoral votes<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So how does this all relate to interactive graphics? Interactivity makes it possible to have additional data dimensions, and motion<\/strong> is an especially valuable tool. We’ll see that in the following videos.<\/p>\n

    Presentation: Global Health Storytelling<\/span><\/p>\n

    Start by watching this video of Hans Rosling, which is part of a BBC program called “The Joy of Stats.”<\/p>\n