Data visualisation - personal meaning from 'big data'
This project looked at how to give 'big data' a personal context. The visualisations were experiments in how to interpret data, using visual and tactile methods to give data a personal connection. This is a personal project as part of Master of Design studies at Griffith University.
Above is a visualisation of data relating to two different cycling activities, as recorded by a Garmin fitness tracking device. Data on average speed, elevation and weather temperature has been converted from numbers into shapes, colours and tones. The visualisations show the overall feeling of the ride, rather than specific data.
This series relates to the issue of plastic production and waste. The data is visual, representing one person's use of plastics. I photographed all the plastic objects I touched in one day, and used these to make a self-portrait mosaic. There were 108 images in one day, which I multiplied by 7 to get the amount for one week, by 30 to get a month, and by 365 to get a year’s data. The figures are rounded to suit the number of squares in the matrix. The image becomes more recognisable over time, as we use more and more plastic.
This is a close-up from the 'plastics' series of visualisations, showing 1 week of plastic use.
This is a 'friendly data monitor' that displays digital data using analogue dials. Inside the monitor is a microprocessor that is programmed to convert digital data into dial positions. This monitor could be used to monitor information such as customer feedback or progress against a target, taking a data feed direct from the Internet via bluetooth. See separate case study about this project.
These visualisations are two more examples of physical data monitoring. The beakers at the left can measure data such as waste produced or products sold, while the piles of pebbles could measure simple comparisons such as market share or votes on a topic.
This is a slide from an end of project presentation, discussing how the scale of big data means we need to give it some level of personal meaning.