Three new books about data visualization show the world in graphic form, thanks to recent advances in presenting big data. A video by The Economist featuring Kenneth Cukier, data editor at the magazine, shows how to depict information in new ways and look at the world through data visualization.
Some examples of this visualization show the impact of improvised explosive devices in the Afghanistan War, the earthquakes suffered globally during the 20th century or a map of winds of the United States. The three books are: “Facts are Sacred”, by Rogers Simon, who worked at The Guardian but who now works for Twitter; “The Infographic History of the World” by James Ball and Valentina d’Efilippo shows the history of humanity from the big bang through quantification and the visual display of that information; and “Data points: visualization that means something” by Nathan Yau aimed for the professionals who have to work daily with big amounts of data making you think of entirely different ways to present data. This book shows a Wind Map (interactive through the link) made by two people at Google who were able to show data, almost in real time, about the intensity of wind flows through white lines and how they change. It does not take much to think about ways in which these new tools can be used to analyze and support investment decisions.