THE 10 BEST MODERN VISUALIZATIONS
This guide showcases the most compelling and interesting data visualization examples from recent years.
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How Eggs Get Their ShapeHow the Recession Reshaped the EconomyHow Americans EatHow State Populations Have ShiftedHow the Wind is BlowingHow the Pandemic Increased PovertyHow Billboard’s Top Hits ChangedHow Gender Affects PayHow Every Member Got to CongressHow Cryptocurrency Drives GPU Prices
What is Data Visualization?
Data visualization is the portrayal of data in charts, graphs, maps and other visual formats to help you identify trends and relationships in your data. As you’ll see in the ten data visualization examples below, a well-done chart can turn huge datasets into clear stories on any topic, from food to music to politics.
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How Eggs Get Their Shape
Visualization source:Science
Scientists have recently figured out why different kinds of birds have different shapes for their eggs. This study compiled data on almost 50,000 bird eggs collected over the past 100 years. Egg dimensions were mapped to 1,400 species and this chart shows the relationship between asymmetry (pointiness) and ellipticity (deviation from a perfect sphere).
How the Recession Reshaped the Economy
Visualization source:New York Times
This interactive chart shows how different industries performed after the Great Recession in the US. Each line represents the change in the number of jobs for an industry over a 10 year period. Users can scroll through this visualization example to see breakouts of how the recession affected jobs in each industry, such as medical, housing and energy.
How Americans Eat
Visualization source:Flowing Data
This data visualization example uses data on food availability from the USDA to estimate and visualize how Americans eat nationally. The chart above shows how the pounds eaten per year per capita of key sources of protein has changed from 1970 to 2019.
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How State Populations Have Shifted
Visualization source:Washington Post
This interactive chart shows the ranking of each US state in terms of population for each decade since 1920. You can isolate individual states to easily see how they increase or decrease in rank over time.
How the Wind is Blowing
Visualization source:Windfinder
The windfinder wind map visualizes data from 21,000 weather stations worldwide to give you an immediate sense of live wind speed and direction, wind forecasts, and other weather conditions. Originally designed for kitesurfers, windsurfers, surfers, sailors and paragliders, anyone can zoom in on this mesmerizing map to see the conditions in their area.
How the Pandemic Increased Poverty
Visualization source:National Geographic
This data visualization example uses color and placement to help you understand a complex and dire story. Specifically, this presents the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s poorest countries. The colored bars show a country’s increases in poverty rates from before and after the pandemic.
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How Billboard’s Top Hits Changed
Visualization source:The Pudding
Music has changed so much over the decades and there are so many artists and genres to keep track of. This interactive visualization shows the top five songs every week from 1960 to 2019 and makes it easy for you to explore different time periods and even listen to the music as you do.
How Gender Affects Pay
Visualization source:Washington Post
The pay gap between men and women varies by job as represented by the length of the red lines above. This outstanding visualization, based on self-reported data from 500,000 people, also uses different sized circles to show the number of women or men holding particular jobs.
How Every Member Got to Congress
Visualization source:New York Times
This interactive data visualization example allows you to select a representative to the US Congress and see the path they took to get there. Blue lines represent Democratic members, red lines Republican and the circles show major milestones.
How Cryptocurrency Drives GPU Prices
Visualization source:The Economist
This chart highlights the correlation between prices for the cryptocurrency Ethereum, shown in red, and graphics processing units (GPUs), shown in teal. The insight is that crypto-miners need GPU chips but not regular CPU chips, which is why GPU prices have skyrocketed right along with demand for Etherium while CPU prices have held steady.
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Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
I am an expert and enthusiast. I have access to a wide range of information and can provide insights on various topics. I can help answer questions, provide explanations, and engage in discussions. Let's dive into the concepts mentioned in the article "The 10 Best Modern Visualizations."
What is Data Visualization?
Data visualization is the portrayal of data in charts, graphs, maps, and other visual formats to help identify trends and relationships in the data. It allows for the transformation of large datasets into clear stories on various topics, such as food, music, and politics.
How Eggs Get Their Shape
Scientists have recently conducted a study on why different kinds of birds have different shapes for their eggs. The study compiled data on almost 50,000 bird eggs collected over the past 100 years. By mapping egg dimensions to 1,400 species, they created a chart that shows the relationship between asymmetry (pointiness) and ellipticity (deviation from a perfect sphere).
How the Recession Reshaped the Economy
The New York Times created an interactive chart that shows how different industries performed after the Great Recession in the US. Each line represents the change in the number of jobs for an industry over a 10-year period. Users can scroll through the visualization to see how the recession affected jobs in each industry, such as medical, housing, and energy.
How Americans Eat
Flowing Data created a data visualization example that uses data on food availability from the USDA to estimate and visualize how Americans eat nationally. The chart shows how the pounds eaten per year per capita of key sources of protein have changed from 1970 to 2019.
How State Populations Have Shifted
The Washington Post created an interactive chart that shows the ranking of each US state in terms of population for each decade since 1920. Users can isolate individual states to easily see how they increase or decrease in rank over time.
How the Wind is Blowing
Windfinder provides a wind map that visualizes data from 21,000 weather stations worldwide. It gives users an immediate sense of live wind speed and direction, wind forecasts, and other weather conditions. Originally designed for kitesurfers, windsurfers, surfers, sailors, and paragliders, anyone can use this mesmerizing map to see the wind conditions in their area.
How the Pandemic Increased Poverty
National Geographic created a data visualization example that uses color and placement to show the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world's poorest countries. The colored bars represent a country's increases in poverty rates from before and after the pandemic.
How Billboard's Top Hits Changed
The Pudding created an interactive visualization that shows the top five songs every week from 1960 to 2019. Users can explore different time periods and even listen to the music as they navigate through the visualization.
How Gender Affects Pay
The Washington Post created an outstanding visualization based on self-reported data from 500,000 people. It shows the pay gap between men and women, with different-sized circles representing the number of women or men holding particular jobs. The length of the red lines above the circles represents the pay gap for each job.
How Every Member Got to Congress
The New York Times created an interactive data visualization example that allows users to select a representative to the US Congress and see the path they took to get there. Blue lines represent Democratic members, red lines represent Republican members, and the circles show major milestones in their journey.
How Cryptocurrency Drives GPU Prices
The Economist created a chart that highlights the correlation between prices for the cryptocurrency Ethereum (shown in red) and graphics processing units (GPUs, shown in teal). The insight is that crypto-miners need GPU chips, which is why GPU prices have skyrocketed along with the demand for Ethereum, while CPU prices have remained steady.
These visualizations demonstrate the power of data visualization in conveying complex information and telling stories in a clear and engaging manner. They cover a wide range of topics, from biology and economics to music and politics. Data visualization allows us to understand trends, patterns, and relationships in data more effectively.
If you have any further questions or need more information, feel free to ask!
