The Evolution of the Mediums of Data Visualizations


Timelines

Introduction

The field of data visualization has transformed in many ways throughout history. One of the main things that has evolved throughout the years has been the mediums used for data visualizations. What started off as primitive visualizations on cave walls 12,000 years ago, have now turned into complex and immersive experiences that present data as a full narrative. I was interested to explore this transformation of data visualizations throughout history since I have personally had experience with a few of the more recent mediums used for visualizations. Today, the field of data visualization has become highly digital but it has much more primitive origins. I found this progression to be fascinating and wanted to learn more about the various mediums that have been used throughout history.

The timeline below depicts the evolution of the mediums used to visualize data and begins at some of the first visualizations 12,000 years ago. With each notable milestone, data visualizations were able to improve and provide more value and analysis on the data that was being presented.

Materials

This timeline was created using TimelineJS which is an open-source tool created by Northwestern University Knight Lab. This tool allows users to create high quality, interactive timelines with ease. Each event on the timeline is added to an Excel spreadsheet which powers the timeline visualization. Users have the ability to add photos and descriptions for each event. The tool takes care of the styling and interaction required to create the final timeline.

Excel spreadsheet used to power timeline visualization

I found the tool to be very easy to work with and appreciated the Excel spreadsheet template that was provided on the TimelineJS website. There was also an FAQ section on the website which I found to be helpful especially when adding events with from the B.C.E time period.

For this project, I used a variety of sources linked in the references section below to compile a timeline of the notable milestones in the evolution of the mediums used for data visualizations. Specifically, I found the Chartio article to be very informative since it included many of the noteworthy events. I also used Wikipedia and other articles from Google to supplement my research on certain events.

Process

To compile the list of events included in the timeline, I started by understanding more about the history of the field of data visualization. I was interested in learning about the first documented visualizations in history. As I learned about visualizations that had been found on cave walls I became curious about how visualizations were depicted until the advent of paper. This curiosity was what led me to explore the various mediums used throughout history for visualizing data.

I read articles about a variety of mediums and then compiled a list in chronological order to create a timeline. Each event that represented an advancement in data visualization mediums was selected and recorded in the Excel spreadsheet. Every events included a date, heading, description, and image. I continuously used the “preview” feature provided by the TimelineJS tool to ensure that the timeline was being constructed properly.

Results

The final timeline can be seen below.

Click here to view the timeline

After creating the timeline of notable events in the evolution of data visualization mediums, one of the most interesting things that stood out to me was how fast things have changed in the last 150 years compared to the earlier parts of history. The first few events on the timeline are spaced out with thousands of years in between each event due to the slow rate of change in early history. This contrasts with the last four events on the timeline which depict the various mediums of data visualization once technology was introduced.

Another interesting point to note is the transformation from physical visualizations to digital visualizations. In early history data was recorded in a tangible, physical way, whereas nowadays all data is visualized digitally on computers and various devices. Some of the earliest visualizations were very basic because of the limitations provided by the medium used. For example, there are only so many metrics that could be depicted by the Incas using their system of knots on threads. The recent shift to digital visualizations has opened the door for more complex visualizations that allow for a higher level of data analysis and understanding. Technology has also allowed us to capture much more data which leads to higher quality visualizations.

Knots used to by the Incas to visualize data

Once mobile devices became more widespread, data visualizations became personalized and accessible from the palm of your hand. Data visualizations suddenly became relevant to anyone with a personal device instead of just statisticians and analysts. Mobile devices also encouraged interaction to be introduced to visualizations which added a whole new dimension to understanding the data.

Reflection

Constructing a timeline to depict the evolution of the mediums of data visualization was effective and informative since it is useful to depict this information in a visual and chronological manner. However, it is important to point out that it was much more difficult to find information about the first few events included on the timeline since they date back to more than 10,000 years ago. Once visualizations started to be done on paper, there was more information available since these forms of visualizations are easier to preserve.

Overall, it can be seen that the introduction of technology accelerated the evolution of the mediums for visualization and has allowed for a continual improvement of data visualizations. Although augmented reality and virtual reality are still relatively new mediums to the field of data visualization, I believe they have a promising future. Not only do these immersive technologies allow for a new level of interaction, but they bring the data to life in a way that has never been done before.

Although humans have been depicting data since the beginning of time, the value provided by visualizing data continues to increase and is greatly impacted by the inevitable evolution of the mediums available. I am interested to see the future of this field and how new mediums for visualization will continue to evolve.

References

https://chartio.com/blog/the-evolution-of-data-visualization/
https://www.dundas.com/resources/blogs/introduction-to-business-intelligence/brief-history-data-visualization
https://blog.panoply.io/history-of-data-visualization
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/02/12/using-vr-to-step-inside-your-data-vr-or-ar-enabled-analytics/?sh=41e76615746a
https://www.analytics8.com/blog/data-visualization-is-not-dead-it-is-just-evolving/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Playfair
https://review.gale.com/2020/09/16/the-data-visualisation-revolution/
https://aeon.co/ideas/the-khipu-code-the-knotty-mystery-of-the-inkas-3d-records
https://builtin.com/data-science/ar-vr-data-visualization