Module 1

Decoding Data Visualizations

Every chart is built on a simple foundation. Before we create our own, let's master the three core building blocks of visual analytics.

Dimension (Group by)

Qualitative data that categorizes, groups, or slices your data. Think of it as the "text" or "dates".

// City, Year, Product, Status

Measure (Value)

Quantitative, numerical data that can be measured or calculated. The numbers you care about tracking.

// Revenue, Profit Margin, Units Sold

Aggregation (Math)

How you summarize the Measure across a Dimension. You can't just plot raw numbers without summarizing them!

// Sum, Average, Count, Max, Min

Knowledge Check

Identify the Dimension, Measure, and Aggregation method used for each chart.

Average Rent by Neighborhood

Total Monthly Rainfall

Service Requests by Type

Total Sales by Region & Product

Smartphone Market Share (Q3)

Maximum Temperature by City

Application Mission

The Seattle Data Mission

Apply your knowledge of Dimensions, Measures, and Aggregations to real-world open data.

1

Access the Portal

Go to the Seattle Open Data portal and open the dataset catalog.

Open Seattle Open Data
2

Pick & Visualize

Select any interesting dataset. Click the "Create Visualization" or "Visualize" button in the interface.

3

Build the Chart

In the visualizer pane, define your Dimension (Group by) and a Measure to render your chart.

4

Capture & Submit

Take a screenshot of your finished chart. Paste it into the shared Google Doc below with your analysis.

Open Google Doc

Screenshot Reference Guide

Windows Machine

  1. 1.
    Press Windows + Shift + S
  2. 2. Your screen will darken. Click and drag your mouse to select the chart area.
  3. 3. The image is now copied to your clipboard.
  4. 4. Go to the Google Doc and press Ctrl + V to paste.

Mac Machine

  1. 1.
    Press Shift + Cmd + 4
  2. 2. Your cursor turns into a crosshair. Click and drag to select the chart.
  3. 3. The image is saved to your desktop (or click the floating thumbnail to copy).
  4. 4. Go to the Google Doc and paste it, or drag the file directly in.