Visualising Activity Data
Dept of Communication and Systems,The Open University
Scattered puzzle pieces next to solved fragment by Horia Varlan
Tony Hirst
Visual Analysis
vs.
Presentation Graphics
This is NOT a presentation about:- data discovery- data preparation- data cleansing
What data is there?0
AEIOU – Aberystwyth University – aggregated repository activity data
Agtivity – University of Manchester – usage data from Advanced Video Conferencing services users
Exposing VLE Data – University of Cambridge – activity and attention data for Cambridge’s institutional virtual learning environment
Library Impact Data – Huddersfield University – prove a statistically significant correlation between library usage and student attainment
RISE – Open University – use attention data recorded by EZProxy to provide recommendations to users of the EBSCO Discovery search solution.
Salt – University of Manchester – using 10 years of library circulation data to support long tail discovery
Shared OpenURL Data – EDINA – open OpenURL data
STAR-Trak – Leeds Metropolitan University – highlight and manage interventions with students who are at risk of dropping out
UCIAD – Open University – investigate the use of semantic technologies for integrating user activity data from different systems
Some example visualisation types…
How manydimensions?
So what might aTREEMAP
be good for?Q:
aka “seasonal subseries”
So what might aCYCLE PLOTbe good for?Q:
Use white space
gnuplot
What else dotime series hide?Q:
Trends
#time series data in d#first differencefd=np.diff(d)
Autocorrelation
matplotlib
Gephi
How manydimensions?
So where might we findNETWORK GRAPHS
defined?Q:
Tools…
…vary…
R(ggplot)
Protovis
Processing
Data Application Output
Data [Code] Output
Tools can also be appropriated…
Gource
Things to remember…
Data has “shape”
“Shape Sorter”, by Ella’s Dad
What size/shape/state is it in…?1
Big text file..?
…ask your nearest Unix sysadmin for help
http://blog.ouseful.info/2011/06/03/postcards-from-a-text-processing-excursion/ http://bit.ly/lOVySX
How is it structured?2
Bulk properties andsimple manipulations
Number of rows containing xStructural ordering (sort by column)
…again, ask your nearest Unix sysadmin for help
Data format can be key
“Key”, by dewitt
How is it formatted?3
“Writing diagrams”4
Graphviz
digraph test {
CSV [shape=box]KML [shape=box]JSON [shape=box]XML [shape=box]RDF [shape=box]HTML [shape=box]
GoogleSpreadsheet [shape=Msquare]RDFTripleStore [shape=Msquare]"[SPARQL]" [shape=diamond]"[YQL]" [shape=diamond]"[GoogleVizDataAPI]" [shape=diamond]"<GoogleGadgets>" [shape=doubleoctagon]"<GoogleVizDataCharts>" [shape=doubleoctagon]"<GoogleMaps>" [shape=doubleoctagon]"<GoogleEarth>" [shape=doubleoctagon]"<JQueryCharts_etc>" [shape=doubleoctagon]
…
…
"[SPARQL]"->RDF;"[SPARQL]"->XML;"[SPARQL]"->CSV;"[SPARQL]"->JSON;JSON-> "<JQueryCharts_etc>";CSV->"{GoogleRefine}"CSV->ScraperWikiJSON->ScraperWiki"[YQL]"->ScraperWikiScraperWiki->CSVHTML->ScraperWikiHTML->"[YQL]""[SPARQL]"->"[YQL]""{GoogleRefine}"->CSV [style=dashed]CSV->"<Gephi>" [style=dashed]"<Gephi>"->CSV [style=dashed]RDF->"[YQL]”}
.dot
Once only/first use?N times use?Automation?5
Data Application Output
Data [Code] Output
What do you wantto learn from it?6
How canvisual(isation)s help?
Just remember this:
what stories
- are you hoping to discover?- are you trying to tell?
I hope that’s been
ouseful.info ….?
Treemap Caveat – Stephen Few