Data Display Tools

The buzz is growing about some new websites with interesting tools for sharing, displaying, and talking about data.

www.many-eyes.com is in "alpha version" but is already a fascinating place to upload data and use one of their many tools to display the data and invite conversation. See their new "tag cloud" function display word frequencies in the screenplay for Monty Pyhton and the Holy Grail, check out the scatterplot of 40,000 years of CO2 and temperature data, or map per capita personal income by state. Lots of fun display options.

www.swivel.com provides a different set of display options and discussion opportunities for your data. The addition of pictures with the data make displays like this one on foreclosures or this one on shark attacks much more eye-catching.

www.dataplace.org has incredibly robust data sets already uploaded, and now allows you to upload your own data and discuss it in groups. You can tailor your own geographies by building them from the census tract up, choose your indicators (or add your own data), and then create charts, graphs, and maps for discussion. Fewer pretty pictures but the strength of available information (2,000 plus indicators with solid trend line data available) make this a must see.

More data display and discussion tools are expected to be announced soon. If you know of any other useful, fun, or interesting data display tools available, please let me know.