ABSTRACT
Information visualization is experiencing what some have called a “second golden age” fueled by the rise of big data and the visual affordances of the modern web. Information visualization, a field that includes both data visualization and information graphics, has deep roots in the news balancing the statistical and graphic rigor of Edward Tufte with the aesthetic pull of Nigel Holmes. The transformation of data and information into visuals creates an efficient tool for the reader that can reveal hidden patterns or insights into processes or structures that we would miss from our normal point of view. Today, emerging technology such as virtual reality is enabling information designers to develop innovative ways to represent and present information. This chapter explores the challenges in these new approaches in the context of the discipline’s historical and conceptual foundations.
