I really like this visualization of the US Income Tax Brackets for 1910-2010 (click on the image to the right to get a bigger image). It shows a lot of information in a manner that can be easily used for multiple types of analysis. It uses color well, i.e., using a simple sequential scheme. It uses inflation adjusted dollars. It uses a logarithmic scale. It places sources of information and credit for the work right on the graphic. It even basically shows how marginal tax rate works.

Good visualization doesn’t have to be flashy.

Juice Analytics is running a series of “Better know a visualization” posts about different types of visualizations focusing on practical considerations about using the technique like what problem it solves and what to watch out for when using it. Several examples are also shown.

Up first: small multiples, also known as trellis charts, lattice charts, grid charts, or panel charts.

Phil Gyford has a funny critique of the overwhelming number of infographics that are now available on the internet. I suppose there is always bound to be “bounce” effect when a new technique is encountered, i.e., a lot of people using an exciting new technique when something simpler like a sentence or a small table might be more appropriate.

Link via kottke.org.

This was an April Fool’s joke yesterday, but today it is pure awesome-ness.

My IDL Operators table was included in the Periodic Table of Periodic Tables. It’s Id, element 36, over on the right side. From the site:

Marvel at the variety, giggle at the obscenity, revel in the geekery.

Link via Information is Beautiful.

FlowingData has a great post about learning the fundamentals of graphical perception. In particular, the common techniques for encoding quantitative information are ordered by how accurately people can decode them according to William S. Cleveland and Robert McGill’s paper Graphical Perception: Theory, Experimentation, and Application to the Development of Graphical Methods. For a lot more information about this type of thing, see Colin Ware’s Information Visualization.

Here’s a fun video for a Friday afternoon, a modern version of Powers of Ten, produced by The American Museum of Natural History.

While catching up on recent TED talks, I watched two on topics of interest to this website: one focused on data, Tim Berners-Lee’s “The year open data went worldwide”, and one demonstrating a novel visualization system, Gary Flake’s “Is Pivot a turning point for web exploration?”.

The NSF announced the 2009 winners of the Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. There are definitely some awesome visualizations in the group. Surprisingly (to me), a web comic I read regularly, Piled Higher and Deeper, took the prize for “Information Posters and Graphics”.

Blaise Aguera y Arcas of Microsoft gave a fascinating TED talk about where Bing is going with their mapping services. Looks like they are integrating Photosynth into their 3-dimensional maps.

Of course, 3-dimensional viewing available on Bing was not supported for any of the browsers on my Mac (Firefox and Safari)…