Data Visualization

I found this documentary to be extremely informative and interesting.  In today’s world we’re constantly on information overload and much of what’s out there doesn’t even begin to get processed by our minds.  Thus the field of data visualization is extremely important in finding new ways to tell what is otherwise deemed mundane and uninspiring in a fresh and enticing way that leaves the viewer feeling like they have a new appreciation or understanding of the concept.  I really enjoyed looking at Google’s visual representation of the airport hubs.  As a frequent traveler with family all over the country I developed a thankful attitude towards airport traffic controllers after seeing just how difficult their job is by the chaos of the colors of airplane flows distributed on the screen.  Abstract ideas and statistic heavy information can be revamped into a visual representation and given a context that the everyday citizen can understand, fulfilling an inherent need in our community.  This is a growing field and will likely continue to transform itself with the use of new interactive tools and better data software for finding interesting connections and narrative story lines.  I’m anxious to see how it evolves and commend those who succeed in it with the ability to juggle both a visual design background and a mathematical interpretive mind for new and interesting data finds.