Gernes

Tool for editing Gernes inspired datavisualisations 

Traditionally data visualisations has be programmed by software developers. The Gernes tool version 0.1 is orientated towards endusers with artistic and a minor technical skills.
The current version of the tool is a car without hood. Be carefull!

1. How to use it
   To get access to the tool you simply double click on the datavisualisation. An Gernes data visualisation can be found at
   .
   Edit an gernes visualisation.
   
   When double clicking the tool shows up.
   When you are done editing, you either press "Save" or "Close".
   
   The menu tool gives the designer control over a) which data are visualised, b) artistic properties of the datavisualisation and 3) technical settings of the datavisualisation.
   
   The showbackground, Showline, showdots, showblocks controls whether element are shown or not. Acceptable values are true and false.
   
   If you want to control the size or color of elements, e.g. the circles you can set circle_fill, circle_stroke, elementwidth_top(size).
   
   
   If you want to control the line between circles  you can setline_style, line_color or line_width.
   
   And so worth.
2. Limitations
   The current version works without any control of userinput and any users can destroy the visualisation. Luckily the example can be recreated.
   
   More properties can indeed be considered. And  interaction of the tool may not be a one long menu.
3. Considerations
   The usage of Gernes ideas and work is definetly not fullfilled in version 0.1. But elaborated further the tool can rise to a fullfunctional artistic tool rooted in the ideas of Poul Gernes.

Gernes Gallery

This gallery is a very first attempt. The link to the gallery is in the bottom of the article. 

Gallery
Each artwork is accompagnied with a description. Please feel free to neglect the explanation

Gernes Gallery - PowerPoint(best)
Gernes Gallery Acrobat

(In case of technical problems mail: morten@hum.aau.dk)


Some notes on Gernes data visualisations

The gallery contains data visualisations that balance functionality and aesthetical qualities. The balance here is the final word but a first attempt to dive into a new creative field that is huge in potential solutions.

If the only requirement to the data visualisations is rooted in the data visualisation traditions the expressivity of the data visualisation tools would be ascetic and poor.

If the only requirements was an artistic experiments the datavisualisations would be  odd.

Here you see the first attempt to create an Poul Gernes inspired data visualisations. You have to experience the artwork with an open mind.

The data visualisations have been created in the first limited version of a Gernes inspired data visualisation tool. The tool consist of approx.. 4-5000 lines of code.

The data visualisations are flat, non interactive phenomenas. When reading (Heer & Shneidermann, 2012) and (Yi et al, 2012) you may say that data visualisations has a potential to be a modern diary including all kinds of data including personal qualitative emotions and experiences. The expressivity of data visualisations increase and here are only 2 dimensional visualisations shown. Modern data visualisations can be easily comprehendible with 5-6 dimensions.

Last thing to mention is: The targetgroup of these data visualisations are patients who read data visualisations with hope in mind. Poul Gernes “Colours of Medicine" can give patients that hope.

Error page

Unfortunately has the Gernes Gallary and Workshop been moved

Gernes Gallery - here
Gernes Workshop - here



We do apolise for your inconvinience.

gernes_gallery

Data visualisation - Gernes Gallery - Work in Progress

Visualisation of an evaluation of a datavisualisation course

During the last 3 weeks I have been giving a class in datavisualisation for 8. semester human science students. As a part of the final lecture I asked to type as many terms from the field datavisualisation in 5 minutes. I asked them to note the row number at which they had been placed at during the course. In a google form. Afterwards they where asked to create an visualisation of the data.
Below is a screenshot of the interactive visualisation of the evaluation.

You may access the interactive version from this link. Do so - you will appreciate the possibility to interact with the data!

The visualisation gives me as a teacher a new tool to measure the progress of the student in a field with many terms. It gives me a fast insight in the class and the single student.
And it gives me insight in where(physically) in the classroom  the students can learn the most.

Big Data presentation at Folkeuniversitet/Aalborg

I gave a presentation on Big Data - consequences and perspectives wednesday(March 12th) in which I argued
1) that the new empirical sources- digital footprints, ecological momentary assessment and sensor data combined with datavisualisation is a new "Wealth of the Nations".

2) Human science will benefit from the individualised and  timestamped data that documents changes over time.

3) The new data will change the structure of human science and enable practitioners to do individualised research.

The slides are available here(in danish).

Big Data is Big Business - twitter data worth 200 mill dollars

We have in Humansensing argued that the new empirical source: sensor data, ecological momentary assessment and log data should be paid far higher interest in research.
Regarding the last empirical data source, log data they document ecological digital behaviour, you can analyse on a segment level and move back to individual level. The researcher can have the choice.

The other argument for the usage of log data is the fact that they are cheap. The disturbance of the user is minimal and in some cases the resources spent on preparing equipment for is small.

All these argument seems to be suitable for Apple excerpt for the last.

"Apple buys startup Topsy; gets rich Twitter data" says the news from Reuter(Dec 2, 201).

Apple buys a compagny, Topsy, solely says the story, to get their hands on all twitter data from the start of Twitter till now. Few compagnies have that access and it is valuable for Apple because they cannot track(that is news for me) their own users usage of their mobile Apps.

The point is the prize of the access to the twitter data:
200 mill dollars.