R3
"Instead, the field of
graphic design can be employed, which provides the skills to weigh the
variables against one another in the context of the overall data set, and
to handle the resulting image as a whole."
Q1 - It sounds like data visualization is about presenting the relationships between variables in a better way. What if the variables can't be compared against each other?
"Visualization – the use of computer-supported, interactive, visual representations of data to amplify cognition."
Q2 - Why does visualization and information visualization have to be "computer supported"? Designers can produce interactive data models by hand.
"The books fall short in addressing three important aspects of contemporary
information design problems. Notably absent are situations in
which the data in question is undergoing continual change. In addition,
none of the examples have the complexity of something as vast as the
human genome. And finally, the texts have little to say of methods for
interacting with the data as a way to learn about it. "
"Three dimensional
spreadsheet systems have not yet taken hold as a standard means of
understanding multiple layers of data as implemented in Financial
Viewpoints, perhaps because while an interesting concept, it diverged
too far from standard modes of understanding data employed by the target audience."
"He balances the automation of the computer
against the reasoned hand of the designer to build systems that, rather
than replacing designers, augment the abilities of the designer or open
possibilities where there were none before. This distinction is important,
because it provides more a realistic attribution to the abilities of
machines (primarily to reduce repetitive tasks) versus those of human
beings (ability to reason and make complex decisions). Without a major
breakthrough in artificial intelligence, this distinction will hold for many
years to come."
Q3 - Is AI the answer to continual and complex information visualization? To be completely realistic, it is not possible for a human to design something as complex and vast as the
human genome. In other words, how much we can design is limited to how much data we can process and understand, and so far computers are doing a better job at that.