There are many types of data and just as many ways to visualize data, so it's important to understand both what type of data you have and the options there are to visualize that type of data.
Is your data qualitative? Multidimensional? Spatial? Temporal/time series? What types of visualizations are commonly understood by your audience?
You may not be aware of all the options you have to present your data, which is where the tools linked below are handy. They provide decision-making assistance when picking a chart type, and in some cases they even help point you to tools that can be used to create that chart.
Fundamentals of Data Visualization by
*Available in hard copy from the library as well as a free online book! Book site is hyperlinked in the title*.
Effective visualization is the best way to communicate information from the increasingly large and complex datasets in the natural and social sciences. But with the increasing power of visualization software today, scientists, engineers, and business analysts often have to navigate a bewildering array of visualization choices and options. This practical book takes you through many commonly encountered visualization problems, and it provides guidelines on how to turn large datasets into clear and compelling figures. What visualization type is best for the story you want to tell? How do you make informative figures that are visually pleasing? Author Claus O. Wilke teaches you the elements most critical to successful data visualization. Explore the basic concepts of color as a tool to highlight, distinguish, or represent a value Understand the importance of redundant coding to ensure you provide key information in multiple ways Use the book's visualizations directory, a graphical guide to commonly used types of data visualizations Get extensive examples of good and bad figures Learn how to use figures in a document or report and how employ them effectively to tell a compelling story