Phase 3 (Final) Project, due Dec 15

Develop a polished, accessible, interactive visualization(s) of the data set(s) that you chose with your community partner. 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. Potluck anyone?

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.
• 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 a general user has 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.
• 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 on your blog.

Announcements

• Dibner Library Project Shhh design contest. Kickoff on October 20.

• Ekphrasis: A Symposium on Data and Information Visualization in the Arts and Sciences on Friday, November 18. Organized by the Graduate Student Society and NYU Data Studio. To submit your vis, please send the following information by Friday, October 21, 2016 to gsas.gss@nyu.edu: Name, Year, Department, and a brief (max. 250 words) of your project.

Community Partner Selections

• Anna Bialas: MindRider
• Sara Camnasio: NYU ASD Nest
• Jasmine Chabra: NYU Ability Lab
• Nicole Cote: Prof. Arthur Spirling, NYU CDS
• Jing Huang: NYSCI
• Koji Kanao: Pawa Initiative
  
• Jayson Miller: Edward Ascoli
• Arjun Muthuvelu: Global Action Project
• Avika Narula: NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights
• Pan Pan: MindRider
• Siyuan Qiu: NYSCI
• Mingyu Sun: NYSCI
• Cris Valenzuela: NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights

Announcements

• Now up: Phase 2 requirements and list of confirmed community partners.
• Headcount: NYSCI activity. Let me know your choice now!
• Spring class: Digital Humanities Analysis and Visualization.
• Data Visualization Clinics at NYU Library.
• Qualitative Data Analysis workshops at NYU Library.
• Tomorrow: NYU Digital Humanities Networking meeting. 10.00-11.30 in the Avery Fisher Room, 2^nd floor Bobst Library.
• October 15: Harlem Heat Project workshop.
  

Agenda

• 4:30-4:40 Announcements
• 4:40-4:50 Anna Bialas
• 4:50-5:00 Sara Camnasio
• 5:00-5:10 Jasmine Chabra
• 5:10-5:20 Nicole Cote
• 5:20-5:40 Anu Gupta, Be More America
• 5:40-5:50 Mingyu Sun
• 5:50-6:00 Jing Huang
• 6:00-6:10 Koji Kanao
  • visualization and blog post
• 6:10-6:20 Jayson Miller
• 6:20-6:30 Arjun Prasath Muthuvelu
• 6:30-6:40 Avika Narula
• 6:40-6:50 Pan Pan
• 6:50-7:00 Siyuan Qiu
• 7:00-7:10 Cris Valenzuela
• 7:10-7:20 Upcoming Assignments

Upcoming Assignments. I will check in every Thursday. Please keep your blogs up to date and/or email me. Don’t make me chase you down.

• By October 13: Choose and contact a community partner (CP). If you’d like to choose a CP who is not on the confirmed list, please email me to discuss. Be sure to choose a backup CP(s) in case your first choice is not available.
• By October 20: Have an initial meeting and/or call with your CP, in which you develop (and post on your blog) a timeline for the following basic milestones:
  • Answering Phase 2 background questions 1-4
  • Cleaning data and sketching ways to visualize the data
  • Visualizing their data for your Phase 3 project
• By October 27: Complete your NYSCI activity and post a reflection on its “4-D” and “interactive” aspects. Include photos!

Phase 2 Paper. Full draft due November 17. (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.

Confirmed Partners

• Be More America.
  Topics: Healthcare and health equity
  Contact: Anurag Gupta, anurag [at] bemoreamerica [dot] org
• NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
  Topics: Trafficking and migration of construction workers.
  Contact: April Gu & David Segall
• Brown Dwarf NYC.
  Topic: Astrophysics data, particularly on brown dwarfs
  Contact: Sara Camnasio
• Pawa Initiative, Kenya.
  Topic: water/sanitation in Nairobi slums
  Contact: Sasha Kinney (email upon request)
• Institute for Study of the Ancient World.
  Topic: analyzing ISAW journal texts
  Contact: sebastian.heath [at] nyu.edu
• Global Action Project.
  Topic: visualizing information on media and youth organizing.
  Topic 2: visualizing information from GAP’s video library.
  Contact: Karina Hurtado-Ocampo, karina [at] global-action [dot] org
• Stae.co.
  Topic: Jersey City bike and crime data
  Contact: Eric Schoffstall (email upon request)
• MindRider/Multimer.
  Topic: large-scale biosensor data in the urban geography
  Contact: Arlene Ducao
• New York Hall of Science “Data in the Midst” project.
  Topic: Understanding types of makers at Maker Faire
  Contact: Catherine Cramer, ccramer [at] nysci.org
  

  

  

  

  

  

Potential (Unconfirmed) Partners

• I See Change.
  Potential Topic: Harlem Heat Project
  Contact Arlene for more information
• NYU ASD Nest.
  Potential Topic: ASD (autism spectrum disorder) students in the NYC public school system
  Contact Aaron Lanau, asdnest.web@nyu.edu

Announcements

• NSF Grad Fellowships. Applications due soon.
• To discuss: Phase 2 due date.

Agenda

• 4:30-5:30 Rahul Bharghava, MIT.
• 5:30-6:00 April Gu and David Segall, NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights (BHR).
  • http://people.stern.nyu.edu/twadhwa/bangladesh/
  • https://www.sam.gov
  • https://www.fapiis.gov/fapiis/datareports.action
  • https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/
• 6:00-6:10 Break
• 6:10-7:20 Data Exploration Exercise with BHR data and DataBasic.io.

Next Week’s Assignments

• Finish and be ready to present your Phase 1 project. Project requirements are here.
• Email me on your choice of an upcoming activity at NYSCI.

Notes

Lemonly.com Infographic for USAID

1. What data is being represented?
Think about questions first.
Then go data shopping.

2. Techniques:
– scaling, repeated image
– symbols
– word choice copywriting
– colors – limited colors
– donut charts

3. One-sentence story
In any story, you have to put on your editor hat.
If the story is a call to action, you have to bring it back to the action.

A Process

You have to brainstorm well (including gauging your audience and goals) to pick a good technique to tell the story.
WTFcsv: ask the data questions. Use it to ask yourself questions about your own bias.

Since we have no class on October 13 and I will be away on October 20, I’d like you to visit New York Hall of Science to participate in one of the following activities:

1. October 1 or 2: A two-hour Maker Faire volunteer session
   • Catherine Cramer, Senior Program Developer at NYSCI, is running a live visualization activity for visitors called “Data in the Midst.” She is looking for volunteers to help guide visitors through the activity; in return, you receive a day pass for the entire day of Maker Faire. If you can help, please email ccramer [at] nysci.org and copy me with your top two time slots:
     • Saturday 10-12, 12-2, 2-4, or 4-6
     • Sunday 10-12, 12-2, 2-4, or 4-6
   • Students participating: Arjun, Pan Pan
2. October 20, 3pm: A semi-guided visit to NYSCI on October 20.
   • Please arrive to NYSCI at 3pm and take a look at the “Connected Worlds” exhibit. From 4-5pm, Catherine Cramer will answer questions about the exhibit and discuss data visualization efforts at NYSCI.
   • Students to arrive at 3: Siyuan Qiu, Mingyu Sun, Nicole Cote, Koji Kanao, Cris Valenzuela, Jing Huang, Jasmine Chabra. Will arrive at 4: Anna Bialas
     
3. Any day before October 27: If you can’t make any of the days listed above, please take your own self-guided tour of NYSCI’s exhibits, “Connected Worlds” and “Mathematica.” NYSCI has free admission on Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings (except during Maker Faire). Please take notes on BOTH exhibits!
   • Students participating: Sara, Anna, Jayson, Avika
     

Please let me know your choice of activity by ASAP so I can let Catherine Cramer know your plans. While you’re at NYSCI, take notes/photos on the “4D” and “interactive” elements you observe or experience. A full write-up will be assigned in a few weeks.

Announcements

• Be More America is looking for a paid PT data vis intern
• Upcoming Events
  • SUBMERGE ocean science festival, September 24
  • NBA Basketball Analytics Hackathon, September 24
  • Bloomberg Data for Good Exchange, September 25 (wait list only)
  • Make it in Brooklyn Innovation Summit, September 28 (get a free pass at Dibner LC240
  • Make it in Brooklyn Protest, September 28
  • MIT Sports Analytics research abstract deadline, September 28
  • IEEE International Conference on Big Data, Dec 5-8

Agenda

• 4:30-6:00- ProPublica
  
• 6:00-7:20- check-ins and prep for next week

Next Week’s Assignments

• Please sign up ASAP for a NYSCI tour slot. Taking this tour on October 20 is required for class (unless you have already checked with me about an excused absence).
• Email me a link to your data set for the Phase 1 project. In order to use the data set for your project, I must approve it by September 29. Alternatively, you can use a pre-approved dataset on this list.
• Start working on your Phase 1 project. We will discuss your progress briefly next week. Project requirements are here.
• Take a look at the tools on https://www.databasic.io/en/ and be prepared to ask a few questions of next week’s guest speaker.