UCL Data Visualisation Society

What should we consider when visualising data, ideas, and concepts in scientific research? How can our visuals help everyone "get it"?

These questions (and many more on the fundamentals of effective visual design 🌟) will be explored in our event with renowned visual communicator Nigel Hawtin - who has over 30 years of experience in the science world 🧪.

To attend the talk next week, fill out the registration form (https://forms.gle/iD6oVf54oPw3XvFy9) and sign up for a taster or standard membership of our society on the SU’s website (https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/data-visualisation-society)!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via DMs or email ([email protected]).

See you soon ✨!

As the year draws to a close, we present to you: Students'​ Union UCL 2023 Wrapped ( style)! 🎉

Swipe for some fun about our amazing student community and the incredible things we have been up to over the past year. ➡️

What would you visualise about your year at UCL? Let us know in the comments!

Today marks the end of UK Disability History Month 2023, which has the theme of "Disability, Children and Youth." To observe the occasion, we made some visualisations to better understand and celebrate the disabled young people closest to us - the disabled students at UCL!

However, issues like stigma mean any data available only reflects the portion of the community that feels comfortable disclosing their conditions and receiving support. These visualisations absolutely don't do the incredible diversity of the community justice, and they're only reminders of the work we still need to do to achieve a truly and campus culture.

Let us know your thoughts on these data and if there's anything you'd like to visualise about disabled students in the comments!

Bonus: Please also check out some visualisations of disability employment data by one of our members here: https://public.flourish.studio/story/2095082/

A core goal of data visualisation is to make information accessible to as many as possible, whether that is people who cannot physically view a visualisation, those who see colours differently, or users simply unfamiliar with interpreting data in various formats.

To observe Disability History Month 2023, UCL Data Visualisation Society, alongside UCL Digital Accessibility and UCL Disabled Students Network, is proud to host an important event on the importance of accessibility in information design with renowned accessibility expert Emily Kund! 💜

In this talk, Emily will share what accessibility is, how it relates to user-centred design, and some practical tips for developing and assessing whether your visualisations are accessible.

All UCL students, staff, and alumni can attend the event. Please fill out the registration form (https://forms.gle/VdmFwJHe86XF89uA9) to receive the Zoom invite!

Captions will be available, but don't hesitate to contact us via email ([email protected]) if you have additional access needs.

See you soon! 👋

Of all the unlikely combos of disciplines, data + music is probably among the least likely to have crossed your mind 🤯. But just as data can be visualised into bars, lines, and colours, it can be sonified into pitches, volume levels, and audio effects.

Sonifications take advantage of our strong emotional association with sound and music to deliver a unique data-driven story that stays with the listener.

Join us online from 4 to 5 pm on Monday, November 27th, for a fascinating talk on the what, why, and how of data sonification! We'll hear from Duncan and Miriam from the Loud Numbers Studio, who create bespoke music tracks that span genres from techno to classical – all based on data. (Check out their work here: https://www.loudnumbers.net/!)

To register for the event and receive the link, fill out the form (https://forms.gle/P9rQhfPPstzMtMz76) and sign up for a taster or standard membership of our society on the SU's website (https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/data-visualisation-society)!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via DMs or email ([email protected]).

See you soon, and enjoy some great data music in the meantime! 🎶

Do you love maps? Join us for an insightful talk on the magic of maps on GIS Day 2023! 🗺

A geographic information system (GIS) is a system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps all types of data. Professionals and academics of all fields can use GIS technology to gain insights into geospatial data with real-world applications. In other words, GIS can capture, display, and analyze location data to help make powerful decisions.

In celebration of on November 15th, UCL Data Viz Society and UCL Geographical Society are proud to host James Cheshire, Professor of Geographic Information and Cartography at UCL and Director of the UCL Social Data Institute, for a talk on maps! 🌏

Creating maps is often seen as both an art and a science, a curious blend that can make it hard to spot the fact from fiction. Borders can be shifted, regions highlighted, and areas left off all at the whim of the cartographer. This makes them a powerful tool for influencing people's opinions and actions.

"How to Use Maps and Influence People" will explore how maps came to be so influential in everything from fighting disease and tackling pollution to movements for women’s suffrage and civil rights. The talk will consider the importance of symbols on maps and the messages they convey, and reveal how Robert Louis Stephenson’s Treasure Island map was the inspiration for some of the most effect propaganda in the build up to the Second World War.

Register for the talk here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJcgT5nTy5EOIp_m9KExb6ViTItxbVEw2L22wm_NBKQsxG0Q/viewform

A taster or standard membership of our society is required to join the event. You can register for one here: https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/data-visualisation-society 😊

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via email ([email protected]).

We look forward to seeing you!

Do you want to gain hands-on experience with visualising data and have your work published? Join us Monday evening at the IOE to learn more about our Dataviz Journalism Unit 📊 ✍️

We work with student media around UCL and add to their work through effective (and beautiful 🌟 ) data storytelling. All skill and commitment levels are welcomed!

Our Dataviz Journalism Unit is open to taster and standard members at the moment, so please grab either of those on our SU website (https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/data-visualisation-society).

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via DMs here or email us at [email protected].

See you soon! 😊

Is it too early for Halloween? Not for us! 👻

Join us next Monday at 6pm for an exclusive workshop on Flourish, a tool for data visualisation and storytelling! We're thrilled to have Luisa, a product manager at Flourish, walk us through the platform's capabilities.

We'll start with an intro to Flourish before diving into the hands-on portion of the workshop, where we'll visualise a couple of Halloween-themed datasets together! 🎃

What you can expect:
- Learn the fundamentals of Flourish and how to create engaging visualisations
- Discover new features to elevate your data storytelling
- Participate in a step-by-step tutorial on visualising Halloween-themed datasets
- Network with fellow data visualisation enthusiasts and share your own projects

What you should bring:
- Your laptop
- Yourself (and anything Halloween-y if you'd like 👀 )

Please register for the workshop with this Google form (https://forms.gle/JdrP4SspNPsAnnN46) and head to our SU website to sign up for a (free) taster or standard membership (https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/data-visualisation-society)!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via DMs here or email us at [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Meet the committee of UCL Data Viz Society this year! 🎉

We might come from different programmes and disciplines, but we all share a love for data storytelling and making information more fun and accessible for everyone ❤️

Please feel free to say "hi" if we pass by on campus or chat with us in our DMs! We have many exciting events and project ideas in the pipeline (one coming very soon!), so do keep an eye out here for updates 👀

Nominate yourself to join the UCL DataViz committee next year 🎉

Find more information about the roles available, their responsibilities, and the election process in the post. You don’t need any extensive experience or a strong academic background - just a passion for making data accessible and appealing!

Here's the link to submit a nomination, and please do so by noon tomorrow, March 6th: https://studentsunionucl.org/election/leadership-race-2023

We’re always available in our DMs for any questions. Good luck, and we look forward go have you join us!

Event + GIVEAWAY!

Have you ever struggled with choosing colours for your visualisations? Join us this Thursday at 6pm for an insightful talk with dataviz specialist and author Neil Richards on the art of using colours in data!

A 4-time Tableau Visionary and 6-time Tableau Public Ambassador, Neil will also share practical examples and resources with Tableau.

To welcome Neil into our UCL dataviz community, we're thrilled to announce a giveaway of TWO SIGNED COPIES of his book, "Questions in Dataviz: A Design-Driven Process for Data Visualisation," to the event's attendees who hold our society's standard membership!

To enter, sign up via the registration form (https://forms.gle/iWTmWnWFn4iqDL2A6), and get a membership on our SU website (https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/data-visualisation-society). See you there, and good luck!