OVERVIEW

This course provides an introduction to information visualization. Students will learn the principles to design a visualization applicaiton, and they will experience advanced programming tools to develop such applications in practice. The course consists of both theoretical lectures in class and practical experiences both in class and through autonomous work of students.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning principles, methods, and techniques for effective visual analysis of data, including techniques for visualizing both spatial and non-spatial data, principles from computer graphics and human perception.

Teaching methods

This course uses the method of flipped classroom: students are expected to read course material before it is presented in class. 

• Class lectures for:
  • Theory (design principles)
  • Programming techniques
  • Analysis of code
• In class exercises resolved by students
• Homework

Class attendance is registered and may affect the final assessment.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

This course will make use of elementary client-side web programming; students are expected to have some backgound on HTML5, CSS, and Javascript. Students that wish to take this course but do not know about these topics may easily back up through Topics in Computer Science. 

• Visual perception
• Data abstraction
• Marks and channels
• Task abstraction
• Visualization of table data
• Visualization of geographic data
• Manipulation of views
• Multiple views
• Data reduction
• Technical tools: D3

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tamara Munzner.VisualizationAnalysis and Design.AK PetersVisualization Series. CRC Press, 2014 

Scott Murray. Interactive Data Visualization for the Web. O’Reilly, 2013 

Exam Board

ENRICO PUPPO (President)

CHIARA ACCINELLI

PAOLA MAGILLO (President Substitute)

ANNALISA BARLA (Substitute)

Teaching methods

This course uses the method of flipped classroom: students are expected to read course material before it is presented in class. 

• Class lectures for:
  • Theory (design principles)
  • Programming techniques
  • Analysis of code
• In class exercises resolved by students
• Homework

Class attendance is registered and may affect the final assessment.

LESSONS START

First semester

Exam description

• 3-5 small homeworks during class period (20% of final mark + bonus for optional parts)
• FInal project (50% of final mark + bonus for optional parts)
• Oral exam (30% of final mark)

Oral exam must be taken after delivering the final project. If the student has atteded over 80% of classes, it consists just of a discussion of the project itself, in relation to the theory presented in class; if the student has attended between 50% and 80% of classes, it may also include some questions related to the theory presented in class; if the student has attended less than 50% of classes, it will consist mainly of questions concerning the whole syllabus. 

Exam schedule