Understanding Open Data: Data Presentation

Working with Data

Open data can be used to answer questions, discover insights, and create solutions. Here are four main aspects to consider when working with open data or data in general:

1.   Data Discovery: Find sources of open data and search for related datasets.
2.   Data Comprehension: Understand how datasets are structured and what information they contain.
3.   Data Analysis: Use tools and methods to help analyze the data.
4.   Data Presentation: Create visualizations such as maps and charts.
In this fourth installment of our Working With Data series we further build on our Understanding Open Data: The Citizen's Guide Story. We will provide you with information to enhance your understanding of data and introduce some basic skills to help you use open data. This Story is focused on introducing you to presenting open data using visualizations.

4. Data Presentation

Visualizations are often used to explore data to help see relationships or trends within data and to make large quantities of data easier to understand. Visualizations are also used to engage; when data is organized the data in a visual way, it can be presented and shared with others to gain further insight.
While many of the datasets on the Open Data Portal have associated charts or maps, you may want to create your own visualization based on your information needs. There is a visualization tool available on the Open Data portal that enables you to create visualizations on the portal.  
Here are a few tips and resources to get you started!

Before you begin...

Why do you want to visualize?

Visualizations can be used to simply explore a dataset or they may be used to present. If you simply want to use the portal's visualization tool to briefly explore a dataset, you do not need to sign in to the Open Data Portal. If you want to spend more time on a visualization and save your work, you will need to sign up for an account. Visualizations created by community members are not made public. Click the “Sign in” button at the top right of the website and select “Sign up” to create an account.

What do you want to visualize?

You have found the dataset you are interested in (Data Discovery), you understand what information the dataset contains (Data Comprehension), and you may have already done some data analysis (Data Analysis).  When working with numerical or categorical data, you may want to create a chart to communicate totals or highlight changes over time. When working with data with spatial or location information, you may want to create a map that shows areas or points of interest.

Types of visualizations

The are many ways to visualize data. The type of data you have as well as what you want the visualization illustrate can guide you in your selection of the best method of visualization. The following are some common examples of charts and maps that are found on the portal and that you can create yourself.

Charts

Charts are most often used to compare sets of values in a dataset(s), to show trends over time, or to display relationships. The following are four common types of charts, what they are used for, and examples you can find of them in the Open Data Portal:
  • Column charts are used, for example, to show changes over time and comparisons among different categories. The column chart below does both by showing the overall number of honeybee imports to Nova Scotia by year as well as the breakdown of the types of bees imported.
  • Bar charts, like column charts, are helpful when you want to make comparisons among groups and to show trends. In the bar chart example below, we can see a comparison of the percentage of serious reportable events relating to patient safety broken down by type and over time.
  • Timeline charts allow you to show continuous changes in the data over time. The timeline chart below, for example, shows the daily average temperature of the water measured off the coast of Digby County.
  • Pie charts are useful if you want to clearly show proportions. The pie chart below displays the number of non resident overnight visitors to Nova Scotia during a certain period who traveled by road or air.

Column Chart

Bar Chart

Timeline Chart

Pie Chart

Maps

Maps are used to present information about locations in a simple, visual way. The following are two common types of maps, what they are used for, and examples you can find of them in the Open Data Portal:
  • Point maps plot latitude and longitude data on a map in order to pinpoint a specific location. The point map below, for example, shows all of the locations of all of the driver training schools in Nova Scotia.
  • Polygon maps display polygon shapes that allow us to see boundaries. The polygon map below, for example, shows Nova Scotia’s Functional Economic Regions.

Point Map

Polygon Map

Create charts and maps on the Open Data Portal

The Open Data Portal has a visualization tool with a range of chart and map types to select from. For video guides to help you get started creating charts and maps on the Open Data Portal, click on the images below.

How to Create a Chart

How to Create a Map


TIP: Is there a dataset with a chart or map already on the portal that almost fits your needs? Maybe you would like to change the years or categories shown or the colour palette. If you are logged into the Open Data Portal, you can click on the three dots at the top right of the screen and then click “Copy this asset.” You can then give the chart a new name and edit the features and parameters of the chart or map to suit your purposes.

Create visualizations outside of the Open Data Portal

While you can create visualizations within the Open Data Portal, you may want to create visualizations using your own tool of choice, such as Microsoft Excel or Tableau Desktop. The "Data analysis outside the Open Data Portal" section of the Working with Data: Data Analysis story provides some guidance on extracting data from the portal to allow you to do data analysis and visualizations using other tools.

Visualize datasets available on the Nova Scotia Government's Open Data Portal!

Nova Scotia Open Data Portal Survey
Thank you for visiting the Nova Scotia Open Data Portal. Please click on the link above to provide us information on how you use open data, your visit today, and your use of open data portals in general. This information will help to inform us on ways we can improve the portal to better meet visitor's needs. Your survey responses are anonymous.