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Do You Have A Visual Of Big Data?

2014-04-10by John McMalcolm

Big data enables you to perform deeper analysis on large amounts of data and gain valuable insights that can facilitate better decision-making.

While it can provide real business value and improve operational efficiency, it can be difficult to present and comprehend. In order to get the most out of big data, you need to use the right data visualization tools to enable your audience to gain a better understanding of the data.

Here is a look at how you should visualize big data for your company….

 

Importance of Big Data Visualization

If you are working on something analytical, you need to get information from several different sources to create a case or report to convince your audience to take actions. While your case or report should contain as much relevant information as possible to help its viewers make the right decisions, it should be presented in such a way that the information can be easily digested and understood. Big data visualization is one of the most effective ways to make sense of big data. It makes big data more approachable, conveys critical information for analysis and helps guide decision-making.

 

Understanding the Objectives of Big Data Visualization

Big data does not necessarily mean big spreadsheets, and you should think of it as a source of useful data. For example, you may have to read a number of different documents to obtain the information you need to write a report. Then, you will toss aside the information that you do not need and present the most important information only. Visualization for big data should be focused on doing the same thing, which is weeding out extraneous information. An effective big data visualization tool is one that is clear and simple, aesthetically-pleasing, easy to use, comprehensible, interactive and educational.

 

Tips for Effective Big Data Visualization

Effective big data visualization can make meetings more pleasant and productive. Here are some things that you can do to create excellent big data visuals:

Move Beyond Excel

Excel spreadsheets are a great way to present data, but they can be difficult to digest and overwhelming, especially if they contain a lot of information. Also, they are not visually powerful and memorable enough to make a deep impression.

Use Scatter Plots and Line Graphs

Graphs are excellent data visualization tools, but you have to choose the right types of graphs to get the best results. Scatter plots and line graphs generally provide a better visual representation than standard pie and bar charts.

Include Pictures

Human beings have the ability to comprehend information and relationships based on sizes, shapes, patterns, colors and locations, and one way to make it easier for them to digest large sets of data is to use pictures. There are many different types of pictures that can be used for big data visualization, including infographics, maps, photos and others.

 

Having a sophisticated big data system will not do you much good unless the data can be easily understood and results in appropriate actions.

As much as you need to learn how to manage big data, you should also invest more time and effort into developing the right data visualization strategies.

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Author

John McMalcolm

John McMalcolm is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of subjects, from social media marketing to Cloud computing.

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