Probably eight years ago when I was in high school, there was a statement which impressed me drastically. The opinion was involved in some words from a TV program. The general idea was it ought to be impossible to create a solar system model in a realistic proportion by the reason whilst to put a model of the Sun as the same size to a basket ball at the core of a football centre, the earth, in this condition, would be a tiny ball kilometres away from the sports centre with the size smaller than a pea. With imagination, this argument clearly declared what the distance between the Sun and our own planet was like.
Nowadays, whenever performing researching or acknowledging information from news or attaining principle data while choosing various productions in purchasing progress, it is numerous opportunities for us to contact categories of graphics. Comparing disparity between two or more subjects could be directive and obvious if there were lines, symbols or other geometric elements. observed by Nieman (2012), to solve the problem 'We don't understand invisible objects on their own terms,' some experts convert those we can not see directly to intuitive elements. In his article Concrete vs abstract visualisation: The real world as a canvas for data visualisation, particular impressive examples is been provided to manifest a new method representing quantitative and ranged data, so called 'Concrete Visualisation'. In this essay, there are several concentrations. The first of them is about 'to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of both concrete and abstract visualisation.' (Nieman, 2012:49). Then there comes ideas showing invisible affections and quantities especially green-house gas spreading. At last a new method showing carbon dioxide emission is introduced. I am going to re-narrate this article roughly and claim some of my thought.
Many sophisticated data have been rendered to lots of people, concept as 'Abstract Visualisation', are represented as 2D or 3D icons to compare different quantities. This category of visual rendering, Nieman states (2012), may eschews substantial truth related to the chart from the audiences and make the viewers to other various professional ways to make the quantities reasonable. This idea can give simple and directive graph for viewers. For those experts searching for data without complicated decoration, the abstract visualisation is a favorite choice. On the contrary, this 'parsimonious' way, as Nieman describes, is harder to read than concrete charts owing to it 'require numerical engagement'(ibid). One example he gives is a short video shows the amount of global CO2 emissions with live data. This is an idea shows it directly.
Many sophisticated data have been rendered to lots of people, concept as 'Abstract Visualisation', are represented as 2D or 3D icons to compare different quantities. This category of visual rendering, Nieman states (2012), may eschews substantial truth related to the chart from the audiences and make the viewers to other various professional ways to make the quantities reasonable. This idea can give simple and directive graph for viewers. For those experts searching for data without complicated decoration, the abstract visualisation is a favorite choice. On the contrary, this 'parsimonious' way, as Nieman describes, is harder to read than concrete charts owing to it 'require numerical engagement'(ibid). One example he gives is a short video shows the amount of global CO2 emissions with live data. This is an idea shows it directly.
As observed, this short animation gives a clear and conceptional representation. As said, the fossil-fuel-causing carbon dioxide emission per second reached 957 tonnes at average ( Nieman, 2012: 52). There might be some people concerning a question just read this data that what can 957 tonnes of carbon dioxide be. And this video above answers this: it would be capable to fill probably 7 UN buildings.
Another conception Nieman supplies is Carbon Quilt. Generally speaking, it imagines the carbon dioxide as a layer adjacent to the earth surface. Then any emission of it can be described as the thickness of it. Additionally, any proportion that one unit participated in can be rendered as a patch of this quilt. To show it as acceptable vision, there is a website can give a carbon quilt area image comparing any scale of part of Google map.
Picture from
As we can see, the emission amount of carbon dioxide in United Kingdom annually can create a carbon quilt as an area covering 1.5 University of Huddersfield with a depth of 3.2 cm. This example is extraordinarily easy to imagine. As Nieman claims, 'Understanding Carbon Quilt concept takes a few moments of concentration, but no more than other visualisation techniques.' (2012:53)
Talked about the nice article Nieman brought, I would like to represent what I have thought of after reading it. To go back to the statement at the beginning, it is a rational analogy to make me acknowledge a might distance with my own experience. There are also tremendous aspects can use concrete visualisation methods. For incidence, to show the used recycled plastic in the whole amount in the daily life .
Ways to render data can be recognised as bridges. With more clear and straight bridge, the transferring of minds can be drastic more efficient. It can be believed, with the developing of technology, the concrete visualisation can be used to much more segments.
Reference:
Carbon Visuals. (2011). The Carbon Quilt: Making sense of the world's carbon footprint. Retrieved from http://carbonquilt.org/gallery/videos
Carbon Visuals. (2011). The Carbon Quilt: Making sense of the world's carbon footprint. Retrieved from http://www.carbonquilt.org/mass/9_387/tonnes/co2?l=53.64320044844401,-1.7770600318908691
Nieman, A. (2012) Concrete vs abstract visualisation: The real world as a canvas for data visualisation, Making visible the invisible: Art, design and science in data visualisation, University of Huddersfield.
No comments:
Post a Comment