Monday, January 3, 2011

Pictorial way to Display Data

In this post of mine I would like to tell you about a website that arranges information in the form of small pictures using the keyword you searched for.This website makes the search from Amazon and provides with the relevant pictures by collecting the data from Amazon. One can search books, music, videos and DVDs that could be purchased from Amazon. When you click on one of the small picture than it gets enlarged and you can can click on the enlarged form and than it redirects you to the Amazon.com. The link to this site is: http://amaztype.tha.jp/
Happy seArCh!ng..!!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

New way to News

A new way to display news is newsmap. Newsmap is an application that reflects the changing landscape of google news. It makes use of Treemap visualization algorithm. Basically, treemapping is a method for displaying tree structured data by using nested rectangles. A treemap visualization algorithm here makes use of aggregator. This aggregator gathers news from several resources.
       Newsmap divides information into easily recognizable bands, which when presented together represent the clusters of information relating to particular area, region or culture. A great example would be Google News that makes use of newsmap and automatically groups news stories with similar content and places them based on algorithmic results into clusters. In Newsmap, the size of each cell is determined by the amount of related articles that exists inside each news cluster that the Google News Aggregator presents.It could be viewed at http://newsmap.jp/
Awesome method of representing information. A sort of clustering of related information in BLOCKS!!
So, guys enjoy cLu$teR!nG:):)tReEmApP!nG...aNd nEw$mAp!!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Plotting data on Bubble charts

In this post I will be helping you to plot bubble chart on Microsoft Excel. It is really easy to plot data on bubble charts. First of all, your data must contain atleast three to four rows and columns because if it contains lesser rows than the chart does not plots the bubbles correctly.The various steps for plotting data using bubble charts on Microsoft Excel is as follows:
1. Select the data that you want to plot on Bubble chart.(It is good if you don't include the row and column headings while selecting the data as selecting row and column headings may give incorrect bubbles).
2. Go to Insert tab, on the Charts group select Other Charts.
3.Under Bubble, click Bubble with a 3D- effect.
4. Click the chart area of the chart. This displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design, Layout and Format tabs.

5. On the Design tab, in the Chart styles group, click the chart style that you want to use.

This is an easy way to design out your data on Bubble charts.Use it.It makes your data interesting and presentable.
Enjoy BubbliNg!!!

Bubble Charts

Bubble charts are the charts that are used to represent the three dimensional data easily on a 2D flat surface.
Drawing bubble charts is an easy process. It could be done in Microsoft Excel easily. It is actually the variation of Scatter charts in which the points are replaced by bubbles.We use bubble charts when our data contains three set of values for three data series. It can be explained with the help of an example: Suppose we have three types of data: number of products, dollar value of sales and percentage size of market share.
In the bubble chart the size of the data is determined with the third data values.E.g. In the above example, when we draw the bubble chart the size of the bubble is determined by the Market share %.
The data in the bubble chart is represented by plotting the number of products on horizontal(X- axis), Sales amount are displayed on vertical (Y- axis), Market share percentages are represented by Size of bubbles.

WHERE TO USE BUBBLE CHARTS? 
1. Bubble charts are used when specific values are to be represented more visually with the help of the varying size of the bubbles.
2. It is used when three values per data point are to be represented.
3. Bubble size can represent negative values.Even though the size of negative bubbles are represented through positive values , their data labels will show the true negative values.
4. It is used for plotting multiple data series.

Bubble charts are easy and organised way of effectively visualizing the data.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Tools for Mind mapping

 Several tools are used for drawing a mind map and some of the most famous ones are:
iMindMap by Tony Buzan
Freemind
Xmind
Bubbl.US
MindMeister
Freeplane
Mind42.com
And many others.
The one I used and found interesting was Freemind.It is an awesome tool for designing and graphing what exactly is running through your mind. It gives you a feel of linking and convincing your thoughts in an easy and organised manner.A good tool for mind map that simplifies and presents your thoughts in an easy way.
It is really easy to download and use Freemind. 
             One can go on the site http://freemind.sourceforge.net.It will provide you with the link to Download.To download freemind you should have JRE 1.4 or above in your system. In case, you do not have it than Install Java Runtime Environment.Choose a FreeMind installation file by operating system.. E.g. If you have windows on your system than click on Windows Installer max.Download the chosen installation file.Install FreeMind.

Mind map


Mind map is the mapping of the ideas and thoughts in your mind on a map visually.The ideas revolve around a central idea or thought with the aim of organizing information, studying, solving problems and making decisions.Mind map can also be thought of graphical method of taking notes.Mind map can be visualized in the form of tree that is in a hierarchical format with many branches or ideas branching in various sub-sections.It is an attractive way for one to take notes through text and pictures.Modern mind mapping is invented by Tony Buzan.Some of the guidelines for building a mind map is as follows:
1. Start  with a central idea by a root.
2. We can use images, symbols, codes, colors, text and dimensions throughout the mind map.
3. Each word or image is represented or shown on its own line.
4. The lines that represent the branches should be connected to the central root and lines starting from centre are thicker, organic and flowing and they become thinner as they originate from the centre.
5. Use multiple colors throughout the mind map that makes it attractive and easy to understand.
6. Have your own style of mind mapping that leaves a great impact on the viewer.
Mind map
Finally, we could say that mind map is made around a single idea or word and it is an easy way of representing data in an extraordinary fashion which could be easily figured out even by a layman that what one is trying to convey or convince.
                  Mind maps has several applications and some of them may be:
                           Note making
                           Outline/ Framework Design
                           Brainstorming
                           Summarizing
                           Revising
                           Prioritizing
                           Clarifying the thoughts and ideas over a subject or matter
                           Individual expression of creating
                           Mixture of text and images
It is an effective tool of LEARNING.
Mind map can also be said as coloring of your thoughts and ideas with different color paints in an awesome and captivating manner.



Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Conventional Methods of Data Visualization

HISTOGRAM: Vertical bar representation that depicts the distribution of the set of data with the help of tabular frequencies shown by the adjacent rectangles, erected over discrete intervals (bins), with an area equal to the frequency of the observations in the interval. The total area of histogram is equal to the number of data.
LINE GRAPH: Line graphs display graphical information by illustrating through the relationship between two changing quantities with the help of variables. Line graphs are used to compare whether the rate of change is increasing, decreasing, fluctuating or remains constant.
 PIE CHARTS: Pie chart is a circular chart that depicts proportion with the help of sectors and angles. Pie charts are the most ubiquitous and descriptive graphical representation that easily compares a part with the whole quantity.
  BAR GRAPHS: A bar chart is a chart with retangular bars with length propotional to the values they represent.Three different types of bar graphs are:
1.       Vertical Bar Graphs:
               2.       Stacked Bar Graphs:
3.       Grouped Bar Graphs:

 AREA GRAPHAn area chart or area graph displays graphically quantitive data. It is based on the line chart.The area between axis and line are commonly emphasized with colors, textures and hatchings. 




WATERFALL GRAPH:  Waterfall Graph is a form of data visualization which helps in determining the cumulative effect of sequentially introduced positive or negative values.  The waterfall chart is also known as a Flying Bricks Chart or Mario Chart due to the apparent suspension of columns (brick) in mid-air.


CANDLESTICK CHARTS: A candlestick chart is a style of bar chart used primarily to describe price movements of a security, derivative or currency over time. It is a combination of a line-chart and a bar-chart, in that each bar represents the range of price movement over a given time interval. It is most often used in technical analysis of equity and currency price patterns. They appear superficially similar to error bars but are unrelated.
CONTROL CHARTS: Control charts, also known as Shewhart charts or process-behaviour charts, in statistical process are tools used to determine whether or not a manufacturing or business process is in a state of statistical control.
TREE DIAGRAM: The term tree diagram refers to a specific type of diagram that has a unique Network topology. Tree diagram is used when a process is to be analyzed in detail, to develop actions to carry out a particular plan etc.

These were the various types of conventional methods used. Many of them are still used but now more advanced and prudent techniques of data visualization has been introduced and used.