interfaces for big data visualization
jonathan stray
overview project
associated press

Ben Fry,
Computational Information Design

visualization extends perception

“Visualization allows people to offload
cognition to the perceptual system, using
carefully designed images as a form of
external memory.
The human visual system is a very high-
bandwidth channel to the brain, Tamara Munzner
with a
significant amount of processing occurring in
parallel and at the pre-conscious level.”

a visualization
turns something you want to find
into something you can see

clusters outliers
extents correlations

work with human perception

work with human senses
work with human memory
work with human cognition

you have never seen a violin.
perception involves interactively
directing narrow attention

don’t show it all.
(you can’t anyway)

filter

summarize

categories =
“distance metric” +
clustering algorithm
d(x, y) ≥ 0
d(x, x) = 0
d(x, y) = d(y, x)
d(x, z) ≤ d(x, y) + d(y, z)
k-means
single link
hierachical

annotate

snapshots tags
notes history

demo
the overview project
overview.ap.org

the world does not spring
magically into our heads.
neither does big data.
Interface extends perception. thanks
@jonathanstray