Visualising Data was the fourth module for my Master of Science. I wasn’t sure what to expect in this module, and I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it, but actually it’s been fascinating and fun!
Here are the main concepts I’ve learned.
I was a bit worried that I’d find graphing methods and dashboards difficult to understand, but actually the concepts quickly clicked with me.
I particularly liked the concept of a “grammar of graphics”, which is the foundation of the ggplot data graphing library. Once I understood the ideas behind it, it made perfect sense, and now I prefer to use ggplot if possible to make graphs.
I really enjoyed discovering what can be done with data dashboards. I’d previously only made dashboards in Excel and Google Sheets, or made simple custom dashboards with MySQL and PHP. I enjoyed exploring the features of Google Data Studio. It was a challenge to get started, but once I understood the basics of how Google Data Studio works, I made fast progress with my dashboard. The main challenge I had was connecting my dashboard to a MySQL database. SQL statements which worked in PHP didn’t always work using the dashboard connector, so I had to spend some time rewriting the statements. Now that the dashboard is working, I’m excited to learn more of the features of Google Data Studio.
The collaborative discussion comparing airline websites was a great way to interact with other students. I liked giving feedback to my peers, and it was very useful to receive their feedback and use it to improve my discussion post.
I’m glad I had the opportunity to submit a draft dashboard design to my tutor, and I was able to apply the feedback he sent me to make changes to the dashboard.
| SKILLS MATRIX (0 low, 10 high) | ||
|---|---|---|
| learning outcome | proficiency | interest |
| Understand the grammar and idioms of data visualisation. | 7 | 8 |
| Identify resources to undertake data visualisation tasks. | 7 | 8 |
| Understand the process of data presentation that facilitate decision-making. | 7 | 8 |
| Appreciate current and future challenges, limitations, and opportunities in data visualisation. | 6 | 7 |
| Reflect on personal development within the module. | 8 | 9 |
| Critically evaluate and apply data visualisation grammar and idioms to the whole of the visualisation process and the resulting presentations. | 7 | 8 |
| Critically evaluate the capabilities of different visualisation tools and programming languages (proprietary and/or open source) to support the discovery and display of critical and valuable answers in different types of datasets. | 6 | 7 |
| Systematically implement key analysis and visualisation techniques using realistic data sources from disparate disciplines. | 7 | 9 |
| Effectively use the most appropriate visualisation tools in order to effectively present and communicate complex information and facilitate informed decision making. | 7 | 9 |
Data visualisation is part of all of my data science modules, so the skills I’ve learned are helping me with my studies. I’ve learned the mechanics of making graphs with ggplot, but also important principles of good data visualisation.
The assignment on exploratory data analysis was a very useful exercise, as looking for patterns is an important part of making sense of big data. Skills of data exploration have been very useful for my studies in this and other modules.
Data modelling is another important concept in data science, and it’s been very useful to learn the specifics of different kinds of models and their applications.
I’m not sure exactly what my future career as a data scientist will involve, but data visualisation is a very important aspect of data science, so it’s likely I will find it very useful to know techniques and principles of good data visualisation, and particularly how to use the features of ggplot.
The work of a data scientist often involves exploring “big data”, so I will probably use the techniques of data exploration I learned in this module. I found it quite exciting to look at the data in many different ways, without knowing what I might discover!
Many companies advertise jobs for freelancers who are skilled at making dashboards, so I know this is a sought-after skill. I am very pleased with the dashboard I made with Google Data Studio, and if my work involves making data dashboards I will be able to confidently do it.
I am very excited about the possibilities of data visualisations using virtual reality and augmented reality. The articles we read were fascinating and exciting! If my work as a data scientist involves exploring these possibilities, it will be interesting work indeed!