Sense & Scale

A site to explore cultures, cities, and computing at varying senses and scales. Updated by Ar Ducao, with content from classes at NYU, MIT, CUNY and more.

  • Phase 3 (Final) Project, due Dec 14

    Develop a polished, accessible, interactive visualization(s) of the data set(s) that you chose with your community partner (CP). In addition to explaining tools and graphics like you did in Phase 1, in Phase 3 I’d like you to explain the process of developing the visualization with your CP, and the new insights that the visualization unveils for you and your CP.

    You are welcome to invite your CP, colleagues, friends to the final presentation, but if you haven’t previously filled out the final presentation form, please email me a headcount.

    CHECKLIST:

    • Dataset approved (5 points): The dataset(s) must be approved by the community partner that you declared a few weeks ago. Please post a link to the dataset(s) on your blog.
    • Accessible and usable (10 points): See Phase I’s explanation for “Accessible.” If your vis is web-based, please test it on multiple browsers and check that it’s not loading so much data that the browser crashes. If your visualization is not web-based, be sure to get me the materials by Dec 14. If the visualization is not on the web by the time of class, you will lose points.
    • Polished (20 points): include keys, colors, annotations, and other relevant information to show and explain patterns in the data that can only be understood through your project.
    • Explainable (15 points): include introductory text and titles so that your community partner, and general users, have all the information she/he needs to engage with and understand the visualization without further explanation.
    • Demonstrates Process (20 points): Show iterations and sketches for the vis, and explain the iterative feedback you received for it. You don’t need to demonstrate this during your presentation, but your polished paper from Phase 2 should contain this documentation.
    • Demonstrates Significance, Insights and Outcomes (20 points): What insights and patterns are unveiled by your visualization? Consider what cannot be seen or explained without your visualization. How is it significant to your CP, and how will your CP use these insights going forward?
    • Presentable and Relevant (10 points): Be prepared to talk the class through a 5-6 minute demonstration of your visualization, followed by 5-6 minutes of Q&A. Please be ready to give a bit of background to explain the relevance of the work. Please publish your presentation materials, and your final paper, on your blog BEFORE CLASS.
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  • GOOD VIS

    • Easy to understand
    • Clean
    • Interactivity
    • Appropriate use of color/shape/intensity
    • Clarity with simple coherent view
    • Fulfills business requirement
    • Real-time depiction of events
    • Titles, Annotations, short description

    BAD VIS

    • Incorrect information
    • Lack of uniformity
    • Wrong scale
    • Lack of context
    • Unfit for the “business” (audience) requirement
    • They’re trying to do too much in terms of design
    • Bad use of color
    • Missing info
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  • Announcements

    Agenda

    • Good vis exercise
    • Bad vis exercise
    • Break
    • Color discussion
    • Open discussion

    Next Week’s Assignments

    • Start your Phase 3 assignment and post an update to your blog.
    • Straighten out any issues around meeting the quota of blog posts for Phase 1. Contact me if needed.
    • Straighten out any issues around meeting the quota of blog posts for Phase 2. Contact me if needed.
    • Straighten out any issues regarding absences, lateness, and extra credit. Contact me if needed.
    • Happy Thanksgiving!
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  • Announcements

    • Please fill out this 2-question survey to help prepare the agenda for our visit to Viacom on December 7.
    • Please fill out this 3-question survey to help with room booking for our last day of class.
    • If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest that you share your Phase 2 paper with your community partner.
    • For students who want to work with AP data: The AP_VR MoCap data folder has been updated with BVH-formatted files, which may be useful for (three.js) web visualizations. The folder already has FBX and CSV formats as well.

    Agenda

    • Phase 2 Presentations. We will start at the top of the class blog list and go in alphabetical order. 5-7 minutes per person, please!

    Next Week’s Assignments

    • For the month of November, as you start to plan your Phase 3 projects, we will get back to basics and discuss what makes an effective visualization. To prepare for this, please write a blog post that
      • discusses one visualization that you think is effective, and why
      • discusses one visualization that you think is ineffective, and why.
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  • Announcements

    While you’re waiting for class to begin, please take a look at the links to prepare for class today.

    Agenda

    • Viacom field trip on Dec 7: Would you like to receive feedback on your work?
    • Books for Phase 2
    • Studio time. Group with others who are exploring the same community partner and data sets.

    Next Week’s Assignments

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  • Announcements

    While you’re waiting for class to begin, please take a look at the links to prepare for class today.

    Agenda

    Next Week’s Assignments

    • Review the Phase 2 Requirements. Be ready to discuss your Phase 2 plans next week. We will discuss books and workshop any issues you may have for your Phase 2 project.
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  • Phase 2 Paper. Full draft due November 9. (Final paper due in Phase 3)

    Note: Keywords are highlighted in orange. 

    Please write a 1250+ word research article, creative nonfiction, or ethnography (series of interviews) that critically examines issues faced by your community partner in the process of data visualization. If you need a community partner, consider the list of confirmed community partners for the class.

    1. What are the questions they are researching or investigating with data?
    2. What are their issues in collecting the data?
    3. What are their issues in cleaning the data?
    4. What are their issues in understanding the data?
    5. Are there historical precedents for this kind of work with data? For this, please explore and cite at least one of the books from the “Historical/Foundational” section of the course-reserved books (see syllabus).
    6. What kinds of data visualizations can help them? What kinds of visualizations can’t help them? For this, it may help to explore the books in the “Technique/Science” section of the course reserves (see syllabus).
    7. Please provide possible vis sketches and/or notes from your exchanges with your community partner. Keep in mind that some community partners may have limited time to work with you. Plan accordingly!
    8. If applicable, please integrate your thoughts on speakers and/or site visits so far.
    9. Please draft an MLA-formatted bibliography for the books, articles, web sites, site visits, speakers, and other sources that you cite. Please use at least three sources, including one of the course reserves.

     

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  • Announcements

    While you’re waiting for class to begin, please take a look at the links to prepare for class today.

    • Talk at The Frick Collection on Tuesday, October 17 for a lecture at 4 p.m. by Dr. Paul Jaskot, Professor of Art History and Director of the Wired! Lab, Duke University. Prof. Jaskot’s presentation will address how Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust thought of their building projects and, conversely, how victims experienced these oppressive spaces. The lecture also explores how recent methods in Digital Humanities—particularly digital mapping—can be used to investigate architectural plans and witness testimonies to raise new questions about the historical significance of the Holocaust. For additional information, please visit: http://www.frick.org/research/digital_art_history_lab_lectures.
    • Metrolex Meetups:The Dictionary Society of North America has partnered with local organizations in the New York City area to establish a series of meetups called MetroLex. MetroLex meetups bring together lexicographers, linguists, technologists, educators, and other language professionals to share research and projects relating to dictionary technology, dictionary use, language documentation, semantic ontologies, and lexicography.
    • Text-as-Data/NLP Speaker Series
      19-Oct Claire Cardie (Cornell)
      NYU-based researchers and students: If you are interested in meeting with any of the speakers, please contact Leslie Huang at LH1036@nyu.edu (the sooner the better!).
      Please feel free to share this email with interested colleagues or invite them to sign up for our mailing list via our website: https://cds.nyu.edu/text-data-speaker-series/
    • Job opportunity: Educational Data Analyst at BrainPOP.

    Agenda

    Next Week’s Assignments

    • Finish and post your report on the NYSCI assignment. Please complete the NYSCI activity by October 19. If you want to go to NYSCI on October 19, let me know so I can arrange for admission.
    • Please email a quick update with your progress in choosing and connecting with a community partner.
    • Optional: If you’d like to make any changes to your Phase 1 project and resubmit, this week would be a good time to do so!
    • Reminder: If you have any additional questions or need some tech time, please do be in touch about office hours or a web chat.
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  • Announcements

    While you’re waiting for class to begin, please take a look at the links to prepare for class today.

    • Associated Press VR Immersive Media Report:
      http://bit.ly/2wTY9kG
    • Metrolex Meetups:The Dictionary Society of North America has partnered with local organizations in the New York City area to establish a series of meetups called MetroLex. MetroLex meetups bring together lexicographers, linguists, technologists, educators, and other language professionals to share research and projects relating to dictionary technology, dictionary use, language documentation, semantic ontologies, and lexicography.
    • Text-as-Data/NLP Speaker Series
      19-Oct Claire Cardie (Cornell)
      NYU-based researchers and students: If you are interested in meeting with any of the speakers, please contact Leslie Huang at LH1036@nyu.edu (the sooner the better!).
      Please feel free to share this email with interested colleagues or invite them to sign up for our mailing list via our website: https://cds.nyu.edu/text-data-speaker-series/
    • Job opportunity: NYU admissions ambassadors
      The application is due on October 16th
      https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0MnWltXfcEBRMrz

    Agenda

    • Phase 1 Projects: we will work backwards through the class blogs!

    Next Week’s Assignments

    • Remember the NYSCI assignment. Please complete the NYSCI activity sometime between September 21 and October 19.
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  • Announcements

    While you’re waiting for class to begin, please take a look at the links to prepare for class today.

    • Associated Press VR Immersive Media Report:
      http://bit.ly/2wTY9kG
    • Metrolex Meetups:The Dictionary Society of North America has partnered with local organizations in the New York City area to establish a series of meetups called MetroLex. MetroLex meetups bring together lexicographers, linguists, technologists, educators, and other language professionals to share research and projects relating to dictionary technology, dictionary use, language documentation, semantic ontologies, and lexicography.
    • Text-as-Data/NLP Speaker Series
      19-Oct Claire Cardie (Cornell)
      NYU-based researchers and students: If you are interested in meeting with any of the speakers, please contact Leslie Huang at LH1036@nyu.edu (the sooner the better!).
      Please feel free to share this email with interested colleagues or invite them to sign up for our mailing list via our website: https://cds.nyu.edu/text-data-speaker-series/
    • Job opportunity: NYU admissions ambassadors
      The application is due on October 16th
      https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0MnWltXfcEBRMrz
    • IDM + Clive Davis Institute Mixer
      Next Friday, we are hosting a student mixer with Clive Davis (CDI). The event will be Friday, October 6th from 6PM – 8PM in the MAGNET Lecture Hall. Signup here.

    Agenda

    • Quick check-ins
    • Taylor Nakagawa, Associated Press.
    • Pan Pan, Data Vis 2016 student.
    • Extended check-ins. Be ready to discuss your dataset.

    Next Week’s Assignments

    • Phase I project due next week. Requirements posted here.
      • Feel free to e-mail me next week with questions.
    • Remember the NYSCI assignment. Please complete the NYSCI activity sometime between September 21 and October 19.
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