From the early years of our education, we learn to start working on Venn Diagrams, lines and pie chart and how we can compare data. We all have worked with data in one form or other. Data visualization is helpful in organizing information in a way that it is easy to understand. It is very interesting to understand how humans have used different forms of data visualization to communicate information. In the timeline, I wanted to look into the history of data and how we progressed into more sophisticated and complex visualizations.
Materials
The data including dates, images and description for this timeline is mostly based on an article at Kurtosys and a research paper. The cover image used in this article is from Pexels.
The timeline was created using KnightLab by inputting the necessary data into the Google Spreadsheet.
Methodology
I started my research by looking into different maps and visualization of early civilizations. I found some great articles and pictures about the topic. After putting them all together in the spreadsheet I was able to create a timeline which can help us understand the progress in visualization from a very early stage.
In the timeline, I have grouped visualizations in one era together so to give a better idea about the developments. Other than adding pictures, I have also added a description of the maps and charts. By moving timeline on the top, I have tried to
Results & Interpretations
The timeline divided into five eras:
- The Earliest Data Visualization
- Elements of Style
- 18th – 19th Century
- Digital Age
- The Future
It was interesting to see that the earliest known forms of DataViz are maps, not of land, but maps of the night sky. In the 16th century, we start observing more stylized maps, diagrams, and charts. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a need for communication of information in a more sophisticated manner. And that takes us to the current age of digitalization and technically advanced tools.
Today, many website, applications, and plug-ins are available which help everyone in creating informative and creative maps, charts, graphs and more. We are heading in the direction to achieve a new level in information organization and aesthetic sophistication.
In the future, we can expect more complicated forms of data visualization. It will be exciting to see the progress in the field for the next decade.
References:
https://blog.kurtosys.com/from-ancient-stone-maps-to-interactive-3d-charts-a-history-of-dataviz/
http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/milestone/Visualization_Milestones.pdf