data visualization...

The purpose of IT is to gather data and transform it into information. Data is the raw materials - facts, out of context, which by themselves are meaningless. However, when organized, summarized, filtered, etc - data can be transformed into information. The "last mile" in this process involves taking the information and presenting it in an understandable way. When the data is presented in some graphical format, it is called data visualization. Of course, this is nothing new. charts and graphs have long been used. However, advances in technology and the web have allowed for some innovative approaches to data visualization. Here are 50 Great Examples of Data Visualization. As the sheer volume of raw data available becomes staggering, techniques like this will become increasingly important.