Visual data analysis: basic concepts and tools

We live in a physical world overlaid on another totally digital world, whose basic fuel is data, from which we extract and generate knowledge. These data are now used to take decisions at all levels, ranging from the purely personal through to major multinationals, as well as in the administration and academia. The use of business intelligence tools in providing decision-making support is becoming increasingly more common, although in many cases these tools operate “under the hood”, leaving no room for interpreting and understanding the decisions taken on the basis of such data. Nevertheless, these tools usually visualize the underlying data and processes, thus helping to give us a better understanding of the rationale applied to the decision-making process. This article addresses the basics of visual data analysis, offering important historical background, while also describing the tools involved, with the ultimate aim of leveraging the
human visual system’s capacity to detect trends, patterns or anomalies, draw comparisons and establish relationships.