Blog Post #7

For this week, we were instructed to read a larger portion of Dr. Bill Ferster’s book Interactive Visualization: Insight Through Inquiry. This book looks at very interesting examples of different types of interactive visualizations. Ferster defines it as “…the reduction of raw information, such as data, into simpler graphical elements that use spatial variables, such as position, size, shape, and color, to reveal visual relationships and patterns implicit but hidden within the data” (Ferster, 5). The introduction looks at different tools and a multitude of ways to explore, map, and visualize data. Much of what we have seen until this point has been GIS related mapping tools, which is predominantly the examples we have seen thus far in the class, as well as few other things including text mining tools like Voyant. In his introduction, Ferster talks about how far information visualization has come throughout history. He talks about how interactive visualization falls, in a way, under the umbrella information visualization and they have many things in common (Ferster, 8). This was my favorite portion of the chapter, largely because Ferster gives us some great historical examples of information visualization. My favorite historical example of information visualization that he gives was Leonardo da Vinchi’s Vitruvian Man (Ferster, 9 and 11). I find it so interesting because in previous classes I have taken, it is mentioned in history and art classes alike, and you are taught about it in a similar way that Ferster addresses in the book.
            Ferster dedicates a subsection of the introduction to discuss “the impact on computers.” He talks about how important the invention of computers has been on the progress of the field. Previously, we relied on hand drawn maps, and with access to computers we are able to have greater access to information, digitally map and interact digitally with tools like VisualEyes. VisualEyes is an amazing mapping tool that was created by Dr. Ferster, as well as our professor Dr. French who teaches our class, and other colleagues of theirs. You visually walk in the foot steps of Thomas Jefferson on maps and on a timeline, and then little information cards pop up along the way. This tool is extremely useful and makes history more accessible to the public and gives historians a valuable tool for their own research as well as for use in their classrooms. All around,  Ferster’s book is very interesting and gives us an interesting look at Interactive Visualization.
            For the final project for this class I will be aiding our professor Dr. French with his own research. I am very interested in African American History and my own personal research revolves around the topic I will be working on for the final for the class. What patterns emerged between 1930-1931 related to the history of crime and punishment in Jim Crow and Prohibition Era Florida. The data will be obtained from a study of transcribed jail records for Seminole County, Florida. The research question for my final project will be: Can data visualization tools such as Tableau Public help reveal significant variations across race, age, and gender? I am very excited about my final for this class because this will provide me with a great foundation and spring board for the research and tools for my own thesis. I worked in consultation with my advisor on creating this question.

Question for Dr. Ferster:

How long did it take to build and program in terms of the coding aspects of everything that went into VisualEyes?


Ferster, Bill. Interactive Visualization: Insight Through Inquiry. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2013.

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