CONTENTS
Turning a Visualization Into a Message....................................................................................20 Identify the Takeaway ....................................................................................................................... 21 Communicate Context and Limitations.......................................................................................21 Make the Takeaway Visible ............................................................................................................. 22 Avoid Common Pitfalls..................................................................................................................23 Tools and Platforms for Visualization.......................................................................................25 Think Beyond a Single Tool.............................................................................................................25 Common Visualization Platforms..................................................................................................25 Microsoft Excel........................................................................................................................... 25 Microsoft Power BI ................................................................................................................... 25 Tableau.........................................................................................................................................25 ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Dashboards...........................................................................26 Google Looker Studio..............................................................................................................26 Graphic Design Tools...............................................................................................................26 Python and R/RStudio............................................................................................................26 Choosing the Right Platform...........................................................................................................27 Practical Exercises and Resources......................................................................................................28 Mini Exercise: Visualizing Inspection Data.................................................................................28 Learning and Practice Resources..................................................................................................29 GIS and Mapping......................................................................................................................29 Dashboards and Analytics....................................................................................................29 Communication and Design..................................................................................................29 Environmental Public Health................................................................................................29 General Learning....................................................................................................................... 29 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................ 30 Appendix A: Pitfall Examples......................................................................................................31 Using the Wrong Visualization Type............................................................................................31 Overloading the Visualization.........................................................................................................32 No Clear Takeaway ............................................................................................................................. 33 Using Misleading Axes, Scale, or Categories............................................................................34 Using Color Ineffectively...................................................................................................................35 Using Inappropriate Visual Design Elements............................................................................36 Using Unclear or Incomplete Titles, Labels, or Legends.......................................................37 Presenting Findings Without Context or Benchmarks..........................................................38 Using Incomplete, Inaccurate, or Inconsistent Data...............................................................39
Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................ ii Foreword............................................................................................................................................. iii Introduction. .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Why Visualization Matters.................................................................................................................1 Visualization and Data Modernization............................................................................................1 About This Guide...................................................................................................................................1 Data Visualization Workflow ............................................................................................................. 1 Using Visualization Responsibly.......................................................................................................2 Core Principles of Data Visualization...........................................................................................2 Clarity and Simplicity............................................................................................................................2 Accuracy and Integrity.........................................................................................................................2 Privacy and Disclosure Risk.....................................................................................................3 Audience-Centered Design................................................................................................................3 Accessibility............................................................................................................................................. 3 Building a Foundation for Visualization..........................................................................................4 Before You Visualize: Start With the Question.........................................................................4 Start With the Question......................................................................................................................4 Connect the Visualization to the Data............................................................................................4 Let Visualization Reveal Data Quality Issues...............................................................................5 Treat Visualization as an Iterative Process....................................................................................5 Common Visualization Types and When to Use Them...........................................................6 Choosing the Right Visualization.....................................................................................................6 Common Types of Visualization.......................................................................................................7 Bar Charts...................................................................................................................................... 7 Line Charts..................................................................................................................................... 8 Histograms.....................................................................................................................................9 Identifying Geographic Patterns....................................................................................................10 Point Maps.................................................................................................................................. 11 Choropleth Maps....................................................................................................................... 12 Graduated Symbol Maps.......................................................................................................13 Heat Maps................................................................................................................................... 14 Density Maps. ............................................................................................................................ 15 Time-Enabled Maps................................................................................................................. 16 Monitoring Operations and Performance...................................................................................17 Infographics: Communicating the Big Picture...........................................................................18
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