Chapter5 3 5. From Data Chaos to the Visualization Cosmos

Abstract Data visualization is a general term that describes any effort to help people enhance their understanding of data by placing it in a visual context. We present a ubiquitous pattern of knowledge evolution that the collective digital society is experiencing. It starts with a challenge or goal in the real world. When implementing a real-world solution, we often run into barriers. Creating a digital solution to an analogue problem create massive amounts of data. Visualization is a key technology to extract meaning from large data sets.