Magadaelna

=Data Visualization [Progress Report]:= http://magdalenaho.wikispaces.com/Data+Visualization

=Lab Report 2:= http://magdalenaho.wikispaces.com/Lab+Report+2 Lab Report 2:

‍Overview of Program Used:
For my Lab 2, I chose to experiment with Mapize. Mapize is a "solution for visualizing your interactive content and distributing it through a website, blog or social network. Mapize’s enhanced version offers on-demand data visualizations (map, list view, timeline, graph, and dashboard)." As read on the website, Mapize is multi-platform and can be used on web, mobile, and tablet PCs.

‍First Thoughts on Mapize include:

 * For the categories DataVis, Mapping, Views, and Administration, the user must use the "Contact Us" option and cannot create their own Data Visualization. I found this to be a limitation of the website. The only feature I could use and experiment was to "Create a social map."
 * The first time I used Mapize, I went in to "Creating a social map" without looking for instruction to test usability. Afterwards, I went and looked at the website more thoroughly and came accross some instructions. I did not find these instructions particularly detailed and was able to use the website fairly easily without looking at them.
 * Mapize requires background information on KML/KMZ layers. I have not learned about these so I Googled it. --> Results: They are Google Earth and Google Map Layers. I experimented without the use of these layers. My experiment can be viewed below:

‍Experimenting with Mapize: Creating a Social Map

 * Sign-Up:**
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m1_signup.jpg caption="Figure 1: Screenshot of Sign Up page"]] ||
 * Figure 1: Screenshot of Sign Up page ||

As seen in Figure 1, sign-up on Mapize is simple and short. I noticed that there was a typo on this page, where they put "Mail" instead of E-mail, which they do on another sign-up box.


 * [[image:magdalenaho/m2.jpg caption="Figure 2: Screenshot of initial view"]] ||
 * Figure 2: Screenshot of initial view ||

Figure 2 shows the initial view of settings available. The user cannot drag and drop icons. I find this strange because Mapize uses Google Maps. This is perhaps where the user can upload KML/KMZ Layers. The only thing that changed when I clicked on different icons available was the one which marked the original location that I inputed when I signed up. Mapize allows users to label icons and even create multiple tabs with information. This can be seen in Figure 3 below. An error with the website can also be seen, where there is a strange black shadow.


 * [[image:magdalenaho/m_bug.jpg caption="Figure 3: Screenshot showing Tabs"]] ||
 * Figure 3: Screenshot showing Tabs ||

Originally, when I first tried to view the Map, it did not work. Figure 3 is a screenshot of a 2nd attempt. Figure 4 is the screen that I first viewed when clicking "View Map" the first time. The webpage did not recognize the error as it reads "Done" in the bottom left. Refreshing the page did not work either.
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m11_fail_screen.jpg caption="Figure 4: Map Fail Page"]] ||
 * Figure 4: Map Fail Page ||

I chose to experiment by adding my Twitter account as my social content, since I do not have a Four Square account. The process of adding my Twitter account took a few minutes. I noticed that the website added the majority of my followers, but not all. Mapize allows users to add tags to twitter users, as seen in Figure 6.
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m3.jpg caption="Figure 5: Social Content - Twitter"]] ||
 * Figure 5: Social Content - Twitter ||


 * [[image:magdalenaho/m8.jpg caption="Figure 6: Altering Twitter followers' information"]] ||
 * Figure 6: Altering Twitter followers' information ||

Going through the options of Map settings, there were many interesting choices, such as Moon Elevation, Mars Infrared, and Sky Visible as examples. These are in addition to regular maps, such as Normal, Sattelite and Physical Maps. This can be viewed in Figure 7 below:
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m6.jpg caption="Figure 7: Map Settings"]] ||
 * Figure 7: Map Settings ||

I tried all the types of maps. Examples can be viewed below:



All the options did not have problems on my Windows Vista computer, other than the with the Google Earth setting, as seen in Figure 8 below. If I were to install the Google Earth plug-in, this would not be an issue.
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m17.jpg caption="Figure 8: Google Earth Plug-In"]] ||
 * Figure 8: Google Earth Plug-In ||

With viewing content on Maps, the normal map was the most coherent, especially compared to the infrared map setting. It placed my Twitter followers geographically on the map, as viewed in Figure 9. Mapize used mostly information provided by the Twitter user. If the Twitter user did not provide a location, the website randomly places the Twitter user in the vicinity, perhaps using other forms of locating, such a GPS on mobile phones? Examples can be seen in Figure 10 & 11. In Figure 10, a Twitter user put "lala land" as their location on Twitter, and in Mapize, it located her in the middle of a lake. In Figure 11, it shows another Twitter user did not write their location, yet they were placed on the map.
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m21.jpg caption="Figure 9: Screenshot of map"]] ||
 * Figure 9: Screenshot of map ||


 * [[image:magdalenaho/m22.jpg caption="Figure 10: User placed in middle of lake. Twitter user put "la la land"as her location."]] ||
 * Figure 10: User placed in middle of lake. Twitter user put "la la land"as her location. ||


 * [[image:magdalenaho/m_yyz_location.jpg caption="Figure 11: Another user did not put their location, yet they were placed on the map, not in the lake."]] ||
 * Figure 11: Another user did not put their location, yet they were placed on the map, not in the lake. ||

Also on Mapize, I was not able to choose which Twitter users showed up on my map. They showed up randomly and changed if I changed settings on the map, such as zooming in and out. In the Figure 12 below, new users showed up when I zoomed and changed the map settings [to Sky Visible].
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m_zoom.jpg caption="Figure 12: Zoom"]] ||
 * Figure 12: Zoom ||

There were icons that showed up on the map that were coloured circles with numbers in the centre. The label was in french, reading "voir le detail." They were not clickable. This can be seen in Figure 13. .
 * [[image:magdalenaho/m_french.jpg caption="Figure 13: Voir le detail"]] ||
 * Figure 13: Voir le detail ||

‍Conclusions on Mapize
Mapize is used entirely on the web, I did not have to download any software. The only time the website required me to download anything was a plug-in for the Google Earth map setting. There was not an option that I could find easily to target certain Twitter users. Most of the map settings were not sensible, or particularly useful in showing location, but it was very visual. With usability of Mapize, I think it was not hard to figure out how to create a social map but I think that Google Maps is more useful. Plotting other points on Mapize was not as convienient as on Google Maps. Also, when creating a social map, there were only two options, Twitter and Four Square, when on the homepage of Mapize, it shows Facebook and Gowalla [Never heard of the latter social networking site]. Mapize is seemingly calling out to businesses to do their data visualizations for them, with multiple 'Contact Us' options and only allowing a user to create their own social map. Mapize uses "geo-location" methods to map users but there are some bugs in the website, as viewed in Figure 10. Twitter has it's own locating methods, as Twitter users can already locate their Tweets, there is not an urgent need to outsource to Mapize to share a user's location. My overall experience with Mapize was not unpleasant but it was not as informative or effective as other geo-locating data visualizations such as Google Maps. =____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________= = = =Lab Report 1:= http://magdalenaho.wikispaces.com/Lab+Report+1
 * =Lab Report 1:=

‍__Overview of Program Used:__
Tableau is a data visualization tool that allows users to create "interactive visualizations and publish them to the web." I found that there is website support provided. The initial tutorial showing how to use program after installation was helpful and made adapting to a new program easier for a new user. A con to this tool is that to save the data visualiztion, one must have a Tableau Public account. There are only "Save to Web" or "Save to Web As" options, otherwise the user has to start their data visualization over after closing the program.

‍__Data Set Used:__
I used data from this report: IPI Policy Report - # 188: The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy. Quantitative Data used can be found on pg.23 of the full .pdf download. || ||
 * Figure 1: Excel Screenshot of Data Set ||


 * Initial View of Information Visualization on Tableau: (Default)**
 * [[image:magdalenaho/Initial_View_of_Showing_Info.jpg caption="Figure 2:Screenshot of Default Data Visualization"]] ||
 * Figure 2:Screenshot of Default Data Visualization ||


 * Thoughts on Default:**
 * I noticed that Tableau included "Null" as a Country category, so that had to be deleted manually. Although it did not interfere or alter the accuracy of the data shown, it was pointless and redundant next to the '0' value on the scale.


 * [[image:magdalenaho/Complication.jpg caption="Figure 3: Screenshot of Warning - Error on Tableau"]] ||
 * Figure 3: Screenshot of Warning - Error on Tableau ||


 * Error:**
 * Tableau recognized that one of the parameters (Country) were locations so the program tried, but could not, place the information on a map. To fix this error, the user must look up the longitude and latitudes and input them into the program.


 * [[image:magdalenaho/comparative_bar_graph.jpg caption="Figure 4: Screenshot of Graph Attempt #1"]] ||
 * Figure 4: Screenshot of Graph Attempt #1 ||

__Issues with this Data Visualization:__
 * I noticed that there was too big of a difference between the lowest sum and highest sum. This resulted in many of the countries seeming to be obsolete (ie. Poland, Greece, Chile vs. China.)

‍SECOND ATTEMPT AT TABLEAU:
The same data set was used, as in the first attempt.


 * [[image:magdalenaho/line_graph_c.jpg caption="Figre 5: Screenshot: Line Graph"]] ||
 * Figre 5: Screenshot: Line Graph ||
 * [[image:magdalenaho/stacked_bar.jpg caption="Figure 6: Screenshot: Stacked Bar Graph"]] ||
 * Figure 6: Screenshot: Stacked Bar Graph ||
 * [[image:magdalenaho/circle.jpg caption="Figure 7: Screenshot of Circle Graph"]] ||
 * Figure 7: Screenshot of Circle Graph ||

Figure 5, 6, 7: As seen in the above three figures (Figure 5,6 & 7) Tableau allows for the user to easily change between different graph formats. Between a line, circle and stacked bar graph, I found the line graph to be the most effective, especially when more information was added. There is also a "Show Me!" option that I had experimented with, but clicking those options changed what I had chosen for the Columns and Rows.
 * [[image:magdalenaho/line_labels.jpg caption="Figure 8: Screenshot, of Line Graph with Mark Labels"]] ||
 * Figure 8: Screenshot, of Line Graph with Mark Labels ||

Figure 8: This image shows what the graph would look like if I added Mark Labels. I think this makes the graph look too crowded and the values overlap. There are options to select to show certain values which would be more effective, to highlight the outliers.


 * [[image:magdalenaho/logarithmic_scale.jpg caption="Figure 9: Screenshot -Logarithmic Scale"]] ||
 * Figure 9: Screenshot -Logarithmic Scale ||

Figure 9: I added more information to the "Rows" and at first, Tableau wanted to display them as separate graphs. It was simple to drag and drop the Measures to group them into one graph. A legend was formed, according to colour. As viewed in Figure 4, many of the values were not able to be seen at the automatic scale. I changed the scale to be logarithmic. Logarithmic scalesare advantageous when "the data cover a large range of values," as read on Wikipedia. Experimenting with Filters, the user can omit certain countries. To compare only two countries would be time consuming because I seemed to have to manually omit all of the other countries one-by-one.

‍Concluding Thoughts:
I think that Tableau is user-friendly and also effective in showing information. Although I have chosen to show a simple data visualization, the data is shown in a method that is more aesthetically pleasing than the data set that I started with (as viewed in Figure 1.) Tableau seems to be programmed to generate some information on its' own, so the user may have to review small details, such as extra categories being added or information that has been generated (ie. Latitude and Longitude, Null Country Category.)

Compared to [|ImagePlot] which Synthia and I did our seminar on, I found this tool to be easier to use, although it is more traditional graphing, whereas ImagePlot was more visual and innovative, plotting images onto the graph points. Tableau, I find, is more effective with less information, whereas ImagePlot is ineffective with a small data set. help on how to format text
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