Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
With all of the data that goes into the visualization, make sure that the viewer's eye
easily flows down the visual; the wrong color palette can be a big barrier to this. Choose a
palette that doesn't attack the senses. And consider doing this before you start designing,
because it will help you determine how to visualize the various elements.
If picking a color palette is hard for you, stick to the rule of three. Choose three
primary colors. Of the three, one should be the background color (usually the lightest
of the three), and the other two should break up the sections. If you need to add other
colors, use shades of the three main colors. This will keep the palette cohesive and
calming rather than jarring.
While these standards are important to consider for most visualization designs,
sometimes a new creative idea comes along that breaks all of these rules and still
succeeds. Use these rules to guide you into the data visualization realm, but create your
own techniques and standards after you've gained some experience.
Here is another example of how to construct a story line using several sources of
disparate data.
Tracking Hurricane Sandy!
Hurricane Sandy was a major hurricane that hit the East coast of USA recently and caused
extensive damage to the eastern sea board communities. Figure
9-20
shows the path of
the hurricane, where it finally headed to landfall and the extent of the impact from the
hurricane.
