In the subject Visualising Information, students design a visualisation for the UTS Data Arena, a 36o degree interactive visualisation facility. Over a number of weeks, students work with datasets, develop concepts, design, code and test information visualisations that explore the unique capabilities for displaying and interacting with data afforded by the Data Arena’s large-scale and cylindrical format. To best work with the space students focused on visualising place, time, and/or direction variables of their chosen dataset.
Examples of final projects made by students include: New York In _ by Hayley Cummings. This displays a dynamic map of New York formed by visualising every tree counted for the New York City Street Tree Census. Users are able to explore the data through a visualisation that displays the each tree by its location, species and seasonal colour change.
In 23413 Quakes in 24 Hours , Anna Nordon worked with earthquake data. Nordon wanted to connect the scientific details of earthquakes with human experiences of the quakes. To do this she researched eye-witness accounts of specific earthquakes in the dataset. Users are able to interact with the dataset that visualises the magnitude of quakes according to when they occurred over the day and unearth and read real stories by people who experienced the event.
The subject gives students an opportunity to work with a world-class facility, and to learn how the visual presentation of data impacts how we read data and what patterns can be made visible.
