Visualization tools
Data is very important in the modern world because information is the most valuable asset in the society. Most of the useful information can be found online and can be used in any of the visualization tools so that the display can be good. The information is exchanged through the Internet and people can use a variety of information that is available for the people who know how to look for them. Designers are constantly developing new and interesting tools which are helping certain data become noticeable and beat the competition. There are Charts.js, which are simple to use by amateurs and by professionals although there are six types only. Tableau also creates charts as well as graphs and maps and everything is available for free. It is best to use for team projects and the data is uploaded really quickly. Raw is also used “create vector-based data visualizations” (Suda and Hampton-Smith). Dygraphs is used for charts as well and for their interpretation. This tool has a zooming option and it can be used of mobile devices. ZingChart is good for interactive charts and there are more than 100 types. InstantAtlas is used for creating maps which are interactive and visually attractive. Timeline is used for sorting out the times of certain events that are presented as data. Exhibit is used for creating maps which are interactive and can contain historical data. Modest maps are simple to use and it is efficient to use this tool because it offers personalization. Leaflet is also used for creating maps, especially those related to the geographical places. WolframAlpha creates chart “create vector-based data visualizations” (Suda and Hampton-Smith). Visual.ly is used as a gallery and for gathering information which is good for presentations. Visualize Free are good for visualization of data that is available for the public. Better World Flux is good for explaining issues relevant for the modern world. FusionCharts are interactive charts and demos. jqPlot is used for the generation of data which makes it appealing. Dipity is used for creating a timeline and can be embedded easily. D3.js created charts from data that is from different sources and it is easy to use. JavaScript InfoVis Toolkit offers animation which makes data attractive and keeps people’s attention. jpGraph offers a great variety of charts. Highcharts also offers the creation of various charts and live streams. Google Charts offer charts with animation and are related to geographical data. Excel can be used by anyone because it has various levels of difficulty and it creates graphics. CSV/JON is used for organization of data and they are not easy to use. Crossfilter creates interactive charts and graphs. Tangle is used for creating charts and they are interactive. Polymaps creates maps of different styles and they are attractive. OpenLayers is used for a specific task only because it is complicated. Katrograph creates visually attractive maps which makes it stand out from other tools. CartoDB is best described with the following sentence: “The ease with which you can combine tabular data with maps is second to none” (Suda and Hampton-Smith). Processing is best for making data interactive and it can be used on mobile devices as well. NodeBox is not interactive and everything else is like the previously mentioned Processing. R is used for statistics and it has a great support by the library and other sources. Weka classifies data and it is not difficult to use. Gephi: “When people talk about relatedness, social graphs and co-relations, they are really talking about how two nodes are related to one another relative to the other nodes in a network” (Suda and Hampton-Smith). iCharts is easy to be embedded on a personal website and it creates various charts which are interactive. Flot is used for charts that are interactive and finally jQuery Visualize also creates different charts which use data from JQuery.
Review
Better World Flux is the tool which is very exciting to use because it makes data about the factors that indicate a good life, visually available. “Indicators like happiness, life expectancy, and years of schooling are meaningfully displayed in a colorful flowing flux” (Schonstein). All of this is very important and the fact that data cannot be uploaded is also good because it makes this tool impartial. The user can be creative in using this visualization tool because they can choose what is most important in life and keep track of the geographical places that are in progress. People can share ideas with other people by showing their creations in a mutual place for everybody to see and it is also interesting to be informed about the countries that need help as opposed to those which have good living conditions.
This visualization tool is easy to use and it is interesting as well because it shows the historical data as well as the current data which means that the parameters can be seen changed throughout the decades. It also uses the information of the world population and it creates comparisons between the countries which is a good way to find out about which countries are the most progressive. The factors are different and can be chosen in accordance to the preferences. The tool is applicable on the population of the whole world and it can help monitor the progress of the endangered locations by making the world aware of the fact that these geographical places need help.
There are visualizations of other people saved in this place as well and people can share their opinions about one another’s charts. It is useful to see the data of such importance visualized because it can help the world become a better place by realizing the goals of the United Nations. These visualizations are highly individualized because people can select the indicators of their choice as well as the countries which makes the chart unique. This arrangement of data is unique and makes the creator have the map for themselves and for their personal use or for sharing with other people professionally.
It is important to be aware of the fact that this tool of visualization is useful for both professionals as well as for amateurs because it can help the democratization of the society. One persona can make a change especially if they start an initiative which becomes global. That is why this tool has a great significance and should be shared with the world.
Everybody can have access to Better World Flux and can make comparisons between countries and between various decades. This is very informative and it is also interesting for people because they can feel good for living in a place with good health care for example. If they want to travel, they can find out a lot about the destination of their choice. Furthermore, this visualization tool makes it easy for people to create maps using the indicators they find important and they can be sure that nobody is influencing them because they are using their own freedom of thought to seek for information.
The overall result of using Better World Flux is that it brings democracy into the homes of all people and it is an informative tool for those who are interested in being informed about the world affairs. Moreover, students as well as professional can use these maps for their creative tasks and the maps can also be shared on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter in order to spread the word about important issues. This can be seen as the voice of the people and its importance can be compared to the importance of Internet as a whole because the idea is what matters and this visualization tool is supposed to help the world become a better place which can be done by raising awareness.
Works Cited
"Customize your own Flux." Better World Flux. The Global Poverty Project, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. <http://www.betterworldflux.com/>.
Schonstein, David. "Better World Flux - where progress flows." Devpost. N.p., 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. https://appsfordevelopment.devpost.com/submissions/1564-better-world-flux-where-progress-flows
Suda, Brian, and Sam Hampton-Smith. "The 38 best tools for data visualization." Creative Bloq. netmag, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. <http://www.creativebloq.com/design-tools/data-visualization-712402>.
