Data Visualization and Reporting

Data Visualization and Reporting

To simplify complex stories and ideas, some Analysts or reporters tend to explain and make repots in different formats. Converting data to graphical or pictorial format is a simple definition of data visualization. One of the aim of visualize data is to analyze the data and make it meaningful. In fact, Data carries a lot of information that could takes time to read and understand especially statistics information. Visualize data’s job is to make the raw information easy to read, understand, and gives the users the summaries of the reports. There are various formats to visualize data, such as bar chart, pie chart, flow/process chart, line graph etc. (Few,Perceptual Edge-Selecting the Right Graph for Your Message). (According to Tuft's presentation ) the perfect statistical graphs are results of sophisticated thoughts that display in accurate, clarity and effectively way. As a result, visualizing data should be a better replace of written data. In addition, graphs should represent a lot of numbers in a small space in the report. Also, graphs prevent confusing the reader by clarifying the ideas and numbers. In addition, the reader can easily compare between pieces of data. As in (Gentile, B. The Top 5 Business Benefits of Using Data Visualization) blog, there are many benefits in using data visualization such as in helping readers to comprehend the invisible data easily. By visualizing data in Maps, graphs or charts users can take in a lot of information in effective and efficient way. Data visualization illustrate many valuable information; for example, a heat map can show the most and least selling products, so business leader can go through that data and identify the reasons which effect on the sales. Decision makers can observe the changing in marketing environment and customers' behavior among huge amount of data. Thus, data visualization is a successful method because it can help to improve sales and test the customer needs.

·        Brief history of data visualization

It might be prevalent that data visualization and statistical graphs are modern approaches. Indeed, they have been existed from ancient times (Friendly, M. A Brief History of Data Visualization ).

In 6200 b.C. the oldest map was found in the region of Kirkuk, Iraq which is the description of a city in Babylon.

                                                                Figure1: the oldest map

In the 2nd century, Egypt created a table to arrange astronomical information to use as a navigation. The table is basically represented set of rows and columns which organize written data. In addition, tables are considered as a type of charts (Few, S. Data Visualization Past, Present, and Future)

(According to Friendly) up to the 17^th century, data visualization expanded to use new tools with accurate format in representing data.  For example, timeline was uses to display the life of some famous people in 1765.

                                                                 Figure 2: Timeline

In 18^th century, modern graphs took place. Most of modern forms of graphs and charts that known today were improvement from that century such as pie charts, weather maps and geological map.

Representing data in advanced statistical graphs and drawing charts become more recognizable during the 19^th century which is as Friendly says “ the modern age of statistical graphs” (Friendly, M Milestones in the History of Data Visualization).

·        Modern approaches of data visualization

There are several ways to visualize data such as histograms, geographical map etc. On the hand, there are modern methods like mind map which represent for example the most well-known websites, and it shows the most popularity, succeed website Also, Mind maps shoes how are these websites connected to each other (Friedman, V. Data Visualization: Modern Approaches ).

     Figure3: Mind Map of the most popular websites

All in all, reporting data and visualizing it are existing to clarify and simplify the complicated stories. It has been there before the common era and it has been developed through centuries.