The Importance of Data Visualisation

Data visualisation is an effective way to understand large and complex data sets and is a critical part of data analysis. This approach provides a graphical way to interrogate data to identify general patterns of interest and the unexpected. It can assist with the identification of important features that could be missed by proceeding with analysis without taking the time to understand a data set.

Proper use of this technique requires an understanding of what kinds of visualisation are appropriate for particular kinds of data. Edward Tufte has proposed a set of design principles that should be kept in mind when evaluating the effectiveness of a visualisation method:

• Comparison: a graph should show comparisons and contrasts and highlight where differences occur.
• Causality: the data presentation should help the thought process in identifying reasonable explanations of cause and effect.
• Multivariate analysis: most data has more than one or two dimensions and these can be captured on a page of computer display.
• Integration of evidence: words, numbers, images and diagrams should be integrated into a single whole.
• Documentation: acknowledgement of data sources.

At GM-RAM we have this understanding and experience of producing visualisations to explain complex problems and support evidence-based decision making.

Our Blog

We maintain a blog discussing various visualisation and data analysis methodologies. The blog can be found at here.

Getting in Touch

If you think we can be of assistance, you can:

• Call us on +44 (0)1403 753721
• Send us an e-mail at contact@gm-ram.com