Nathan Yau 
Data Points 
Visualization That Means Something

A fresh look at visualization from the author of Visualize
This

Whether it’s statistical charts, geographic maps, or the snappy
graphical statistics you see on your favorite news sites, the art
of data graphics or visualization is fast becoming a movement of
its own. In Data Points: Visualization That Means Something,
author Nathan Yau presents an intriguing complement to his
bestseller Visualize This, this time focusing on the
graphics side of data analysis. Using examples from art, design,
business, statistics, cartography, and online media, he explores
both standard-and not so standard-concepts and ideas about
illustrating data.

* Shares intriguing ideas from Nathan Yau, author of Visualize
This and creator of flowingdata.com, with over 66, 000
subscribers

* Focuses on visualization, data graphics that help viewers see
trends and patterns they might not otherwise see in a table

* Includes examples from the author’s own illustrations, as well
as from professionals in statistics, art, design, business,
computer science, cartography, and more

* Examines standard rules across all visualization applications,
then explores when and where you can break those rules

Create visualizations that register at all levels, with Data
Points: Visualization That Means Something.

Tabella dei contenuti

Introduction xi

1 Understanding Data 1

What Data Represents 2

Variability 20

Uncertainty 30

Context 35

Wrapping Up 41

2 Visualization: The Medium 43

Analysis and Exploration 45

Information Graphics and Presentation 58

Entertainment 69

Data Art 74

The Everyday 81

Wrapping Up 89

3 Representing Data 91

Visualization Components 93

Putting It Together 115

Wrapping Up 132

4 Exploring Data Visually 135

Process 136

Visualizing Categorical Data 143

Visualizing Time Series Data 154

Visualizing Spatial Data 165

Multiple Variables 176

Distributions 193

Wrapping Up 199

5 Visualizing with Clarity 201

Visual Hierarchy 202

Readability 205

Highlighting 221

Annotation 228

Do the Math 236

Wrapping Up 239

6 Designing for an Audience 241

Common Misconceptions 242

Present Data to People 254

Things to Consider 258

Putting It Together 268

Wrapping Up 273

7 Where to Go from Here 277

Visualization Tools 278

Programming 283

Illustration 288

Statistics 289

Wrapping Up 289

Index 291

Circa l’autore

Nathan Yau has a Ph D in statistics and is a statistical consultant who helps clients make use of their data through visualization. He created the popular site Flowing Data.com, and is the author of Visualize This: The Flowing Data Guide to Design, Visualization, and Statistics, also published by Wiley.