Technatic | Data visualization is a technique in the field of computer science and statistics that functions to convert complex data into a form that is more easily understood by humans through visual representations such as graphs, diagrams, tables, or maps. In today's digital era, data visualization is one of the things that must be understood because it can make a lot of work easier.
Through this article, you will learn in more depth about what is meant by data visualization, from its meaning to its functions and types. Apart from that, there will also be several recommended tools that can be used to visualize data. Come on, learn more below!
What is Data Visualization ?
Data visualization is a technique used to visualize data, so that it can provide a clearer and easier to understand picture. Basically, data visualization is a way to transform complex data into a simpler and easier to understand form, so that it can help us to identify hidden patterns, trends, or relationships between data.
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Data visualization is not just about making data look visually appealing. Moreover, data visualization helps us to communicate information more effectively and makes data easier to understand. In many cases, data visualization can also help in decision making.
Because it can provide a clearer and easier to understand picture of the data being analyzed. Therefore, data visualization is becoming increasingly important in the digital era where we generate and collect data in increasingly large and complex amounts.
What are the Functions of Data Visualization
Data visualization has many important functions that make it a very useful technique in various fields. The following are several data visualization functions that you need to know.
1. Make it easier to understand data
Data visualization is very useful to help make it easier to understand complex and diverse business data, such as business data. The advantage of data visualization is its ability to filter important information from the large amount of existing data, making it easier for users to find insights quickly and easily to remember.
In fact, humans tend to more easily process information visually. In fact, around 90% of the information received by the human brain is visual. This is increasingly relevant in the internet era, where human attention spans tend to be shorter. Therefore, data visualization is becoming increasingly important to facilitate understanding of complex and diverse business data.
2. Helps identify patterns and trends
Data visualization can help us identify patterns and trends that exist in data sets. In some cases, these patterns and trends may be very difficult to identify in raw data. Data visualization can help by turning raw data into graphs or diagrams that are easier to understand.
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In business data analysis, for example, data visualization can help identify sales trends, increases or decreases in demand, and different consumer behavior. Data visualization can provide very valuable information in making the right decisions if you identify patterns and trends.
3. Increase the Effectiveness of Data Communication
Another function of data visualization is to increase the effectiveness of data communication. Using visual representations such as graphs, diagrams, tables or maps, data visualization can help you communicate information more clearly and easily understood. This is especially important in situations where information must be conveyed quickly and effectively, such as in business presentations or financial reports.
4. Increase Efficiency in Data Analysis
Data visualization can be very helpful in increasing efficiency in data analysis. Through data visualization, we can find important information more quickly and easily from thousands or even millions of very complex and diverse data. This can clearly allow us to save time and increase efficiency in data analysis.
5. Enables Better Decision Making
An equally important function of data visualization is its ability to help us make better decisions. Data visualization can help us to see a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the data being analyzed by transforming raw data into easy-to-understand visual representations. This can help in making better decisions and more accurate information.
What are the Types of Data Visualization
There are various types of data visualization that can be used depending on the purpose and type of data to be displayed. The following are some of the most commonly used types of data visualization.
1. Line Chart
A line graph is a type of data visualization used to show changes in data over time. This data can be in the form of monthly sales data, number of website visitors per month, and so on. In a line graph, the horizontal axis (x-axis) shows time and the vertical axis (y-axis) shows the scale of values to be displayed. Connected lines between data points show trends or patterns in data over time.
2. Bar Chart
Bar charts are the most common type of data visualization used to show comparisons between categories. This data can be in the form of inter-store sales data, number of employees per department, and so on.
In a bar chart, the horizontal axis (x-axis) shows the categories and the vertical axis (y-axis) shows the scale of values to be displayed. The connected bars between categories show the comparison between the measured values.
3. Pie Chart
A pie chart is a type of data visualization used to show the proportion of values within a category. This data can be in the form of the proportion of population in a region, the proportion of sales of a product, and so on.
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In a pie chart, there will be a circle (like a pie) which is then broken down into several parts, each of which represents a percentage of the value of a category. The size of the part that is solved depends on the percentage of the value being measured.
4. Map
Maps are a type of data visualization used to show the geographic distribution of data. This data can include the distribution of crime rates in an area, general election results, and so on. In maps, the areas shown represent geographic areas, and the measured values or quantities can be shown in various ways, such as color or the size of the area.
5. Heatmaps
Heatmap is a type of data visualization used to show the comparison between two variables in color. This data can be in the form of website usage patterns at each hour of the day, sales activity patterns at each day of the week, and so on. In a heatmap, the horizontal axis (x-axis) shows one variable, the vertical axis (y-axis) shows another variable, and each box represents a combination of values for the two variables with a different color.
Conclusion
In the digital era like now, there are many tools or software that can be used to visualize data easily and efficiently. The following are several tools or software that are commonly used to visualize data.
- Tableau
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Charts
- Power BI
- D3.js
Do you now understand why data visualization is one of the things that needs to be understood in today's digital era? If yes, let's just learn how to visualize data.