LibGuides: Computer Science and Information Systems Research Guide: Data Visualization

Finding Data

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Presents data on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
Data.gov
The United States Government's open data site is designed to unleash the power of government open data to inform decisions by the public and policymakers, drive innovation and economic activity, achieve agency missions, and strengthen the foundation of an open and transparent government.
United States Census Bureau
Online census data. Print census materials are mostly located at Pogue Library, in storage. Kentucky/Tennessee materials from 1980- present are available at Waterfield. Ask for help.
World Bank Data
Free and open access to global development data

Tools for Data Visualization

Data Conversion

Mr. Data Converter
Will convert your Excel data into one of several web-friendly formats, including HTML, JSON and XML.

DataWrangler
A fantastic tool developed by the Stanford Visualization Group for wrangling and cleaning up your data into a format that can be interpreted by Tableau, R, etc.

Programming and Scripting

If you wish to build a visualization from the ground up, you can use the Java programming language to build an applet, or software such as Adobe Flash. Below are some resources that may help you develop a data visualization with a programming or scripting language.

Learning the Java Language
The basics of Java, an object-oriented programming language.

Cartagen
Cartagen is a vector-based, client-side framework for rendering maps in native HTML 5. Written in JavaScript, it uses the new Canvas element to load mapping data from various sources, including OpenStreetMap.

Web Tools

Tableau
Free data visualization tool.

Gapminder
At Gapminder World, you can view preloaded data using their visualization software.

Open Street Map
OpenStreetMap allows you to view, edit and use geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth.

Examples of Data Visualizations

Data USA
The most comprehensive visualization of US Data

Learn OpenStreetMap
A great resource for learning how to edit OpenStreetMap.

Information is Beautiful
Visualizations by David McCandless. Lots of beautiful examples of visualizations with a strong focus on design.

Flowing Data
A data visualization blog.

Visualising Data
A frequently updated blog that tracks the latest developments in data visualization tools, techniques, and resources.

How to Create Outstanding Modern Infographics
A written tutorial for creating infographics with Illustrator. Some basic experience with Illustrator is helpful.

The 33 Best Tools for Data Visualization
A good list of data visualization tools. Many of these tools require coding knowledge.

WTF Visualizations
Visualizations that make no sense.

Citing Your Data

You need to cite where you got your data from. It is best to do this somewhere at the bottom of your data visualization project, where it won't distract the audience.

If you got your data from several sources, make sure to cite each one.

Your citation should include at least the following:

the organization or authorresponsible for the data set
the title of the data set
the year the data set was published
the URL or DOI (digital object identifier) for where you located the dataset

See this Quick Guide by IASSIST for more information.