Question

(1) Use a search engine to find two different online data markets. Write a report sharing the sources or focus of information each provides, the availability of visualization tools to preview data, and how developers can access or incorporate the data into their and websites.

Answer 1

What Are Data Visualization Tools

Data visualization tools provide with an easier way to create visual representations of large data sets. When dealing with data sets that include hundreds of thousands or millions of data points, automating the process of creating a visualization, at least in part, makes a designer’s job significantly easier.

These data visualizations can then be used for a variety of purposes: dashboards, annual reports, sales and marketing materials, investor slide decks, and virtually anywhere else information needs to be interpreted immediately.

Data Visualization Tools Comparison

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of applications, tools, and scripts available to create visualizations of large data sets. Many are very basic and have a lot of overlapping features.

But there are standouts that either have more capability for the types of visualizations they can create or are significantly easier to use than the other options out there.

Tableau (and Tableau Public)

Tableau has a variety of options available, including a desktop app, server and hosted online versions, and a free public option. There are hundreds of data import options available, from CSV files to Google Ads and Analytics data to Salesforce data.

Output options include multiple chart formats as well as mapping capability. That means designers can create color-coded maps that showcase geographically important data in a format that’s much easier to digest than a table or chart could ever be.

The public version of Tableau is free to use for anyone looking for a powerful way to create data visualizations that can be used in a variety of settings. From journalists to political junkies to those who just want to quantify the data of their own lives, there are tons of potential uses for Tableau Public. They have an extensive gallery of infographics and visualizations that have been created with the public version to serve as inspiration for those who are interested in creating their own

Pros

• Hundreds of data import options

• Mapping capability

• Free public version available

• Lots of video tutorials to walk you through how to use Tableau

Cons

• Non-free versions are expensive

• Public version doesn’t allow you to keep data analyses private