DS306BKK
From data to knowledge: interpretation, visualization, presentation
Faculty
Juan Galeano
Researcher at the Center for Demographic Studies (CED) in Barcelona, Spain
Course length
Duration
Total hours
Credits
Language
Course type
Fee for single course
Fee for degree students
Skills you’ll learn
Overview
In our data-driven world, the technological revolution has simplified the generation and collection of data across various aspects of our personal, social, and professional lives. The interpretation of this data empowers us to make informed decisions, generate ideas, recognize trends, and either validate or challenge our beliefs. This course aims to equip you with effective techniques for visualizing data, enabling you to comprehend and effectively communicate your findings to others, whether through a research paper, a corporate meeting, or a landing webpage. Additionally, we will cultivate a critical approach to data, enabling us to identify both its limitations and strengths.
Learning highlights
- Participants in this course will be able to choose the right visual representation depending on the type of questions they want to answer with data.
- The students will understand why some particular form of data presentation is more efficient within some context and will be familiarized with the tools of visual data exploration and presentation, including dynamic and interactive visualization.
Course outline
15 classes
Presentation of the course
goals, assignments and evaluation.
Brief introduction to the history of data visualization.
Presentation of datasets for final assignment.
Exercise 1: Critic comment of the article “Graphics with a cause”.
Into the void
Data collection, processes , Types of variables, Dataset formats: width vs long, Where to get data?
Exercise 2: Building data infrastructures tidyverse (R) vs pandas (Python).
Types of graphs: pros and cons
Basic elements of a graph, Line Plots, Barplots
Barplots: Alluvial plots, Scatterplots, Box Plots, Polar plots
Exercise 3: Building some basic graphs using ggplot2 (plotnine in Python).
The Visual Mind: how visual perception works?
Main goals of data visualization
Data visualization vs Information design
Exercise 4: Critic comment of the article “Feminist Data Visualization”.
Matching data and graphs
Definition of datasets for final projects
Exercise 5: Short questionnaire on the contents of the first week.
Daily sins of data visualization.
The data visualization toolbox.
Exercise 6: Building complex graphs using ggplot2 (plotnine in Python).
Let’s go Spatial I
Production of digital cartography and spatial analysis
General manipulation of spatial objects in R
Choropleth maps
Exercise 7: Choropleth maps in R.
Let’s go Spatial II
Production of digital cartography and spatial analysis
Point maps, heatmaps and lines maps
Exercise 8: Heat and lines maps in R.
Let’s go Spatial III
Production of digital cartography and spatial analysis
Working with raster objects, geocoding data
Exercise 9: Heat and lines maps in R.
Let’s go Spatial IV
Production of digital cartography and spatial analysis with QGIS
Exercise 10: Digital cartography with QGIS.
From static to interactive visualizations
Data Dashboards: Flourish, Shiny, Datawrapper, Plotly
From static to interactive visualizations
Data Dashboards: Flourish, Shiny, Datawrapper, Plotly
Preparation of final projects
You work on your own and I will be in the class giving feedback and answering questions.
Preparation of final projects
You work on your own and I will be in the class giving feedback and answering questions.
Presentation of final projects
Summary of the course, Farewell aperitif!!!
Prerequisites
Basics of working with data (e.g. spreadsheet software, R, python pandas).
Basics of statistics (descriptive statistics: mean, median, variance, standard deviation, regression)
Basics of programming (preferably R or Python).
Methodology
Theoretical lectures
Learning-by-doing activities
Grading
Juan Galeano is a researcher at the Center for Demographic Studies (CED) in Barcelona, Spain, where he is currently responsible for Data Infrastructures within the Intergenerational Coresidence in Global Perspective: Dimensions of Change (CORESIDENCE) project, supported by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. He is also the co-principal investigator of the project Bringing Social and Computational Sciences Together: Unravelling Household Composition and Change through the Implementation of the First World-Scale Multilevel Analysis, a collaborative initiative between CED and the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC). Previously, Juan was a postdoctoral researcher at the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Geneva, Switzerland. He holds a PhD in Demography, and his research lies at the intersection of demography, human geography, and sociology. Juan is passionate about spatial data, digital cartography, and open-source technologies.
See full profileApply for this course
From data to knowledge: interpretation, visualization, presentation
by Juan Galeano
Total hours
45 Hours
Dates
Jan 08 - Jan 26, 2024
Fee for single course
€1500
Fee for degree students
€750
How to secure your spot
Complete the form below to kickstart your application
Schedule your Harbour.Space interview
If successful, get ready to join us on campus
FAQ
Will I receive a certificate after completion?
Yes. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate signed by the director of the program your course belonged to.
Do I need a visa?
This depends on your case. Please check with the Spanish or Thai consulate in your country of residence about visa requirements. We will do our part to provide you with the necessary documents, such as the Certificate of Enrollment.
Can I get a discount?
Yes. The easiest way to enroll in a course at a discounted price is to register for multiple courses. Registering for multiple courses will reduce the cost per individual course. Please ask the Admissions Office for more information about the other kinds of discounts we offer and what you can do to receive one.