Description:

Master the art and science of data visualization with Northwestern's top specialists in a series of engaging workshops designed to take your skills from basic to brilliant. Dive into the world of static, dynamic, and interactive visualizations, and explore GIS tools, R, and Python through hands-on sessions. Plus, get personalized guidance on your projects during our daily drop-in office hours with expert advice. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your data visualization game!

Data Visualization Week will take place Monday, September 9 through Friday, September 13 at the Mudd Hall 2nd Floor North Study Lounge. Full schedule below.

Everyone at Northwestern is welcome – undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, staff, and faculty. 

Northwestern University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all events and programs. Accommodations such as sign language interpreters and accessible presentation materials in alternate formats are provided upon request. Please contact Anne Sticksel at amsticksel@northwestern.edu or 847-491-2922 by Friday, August 30, 2024.

Every reasonable effort will be made to implement accommodations in an effective and timely manner.

*Full Schedule*

Monday, September 9, 2024, 9:30⁠–11 AM
Introduction To Spatial Data
(Mapping Track)

This hands-on session will introduce you to the fundamentals of spatial data, including what it is, where to find it, and how it can be used to uncover insights about our world. We’ll cover essential concepts such as spatial data types and formats, and explore widely-used applications for working with geographic information. No prior experience is necessary.

Led by Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries; and Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: No prior experience is required to attend this workshop. For the hands-on activities, please ensure you have an ArcGIS Online account set up beforehand. You can create one by following this link: https://northwestern.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html.

Monday, September 9, 2024, 11 AM⁠–12:30 PM
Introduction To Data Visualization
(R Track)

Visualizing your data can be a highly effective way to communicate your research results to a wide variety of audiences. This workshop covers best practices in converting your data into effective charts and graphs (i.e., visualizations). We will discuss how to get started, ways to tell your data’s story visually, and how to thoughtfully use all the tools at your disposal.

We will use hands-on examples in R as discussion starters, but no prior R knowledge is required.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: None.

Monday, September 9, 2024, 1:30⁠–3 PM
Introduction To Data Visualization
(Python Track)

Visualizing your data can be a highly effective way to communicate your research results to a wide variety of audiences. This workshop covers best practices in converting your data into effective charts and graphs (i.e., visualizations). We will discuss how to get started, ways to tell your data’s story visually, and how to thoughtfully use all the tools at your disposal. We will use hands-on examples in Python as discussion starters, but no prior Python knowledge is required.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: None.

Monday, September 9, 2024, 3⁠–4 PM
Drop-in office hours
(General Track)

Whether you have attended one of the morning sessions or not, feel free to drop by if you have any questions about data visualization. Bring your mapping, R, Python, or other visualization project and we'll help you!

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA; Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries; and Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: None.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 9:30⁠–11 AM
Creating Web Maps with ArcOnline
(Mapping Track)

Join us for a workshop designed to get you started with creating web maps using ArcGIS Online. This session is tailored for beginners and will guide you through the process of designing and publishing interactive web maps. You’ll learn how to navigate the ArcGIS Online interface, add and style map layers, and utilize basic tools to visualize and analyze geographic data. No prior experience with GIS or ArcGIS Online is necessary, but is helpful.

Led by Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries/Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: No prior experience is required to attend this workshop, but it is helpful. For the hands-on activities, please ensure you have an ArcGIS Online account set up beforehand. You can create one by following this link: https://northwestern.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 11 AM⁠–12:30 PM
Creating Static Figures with R + ggplot
(R Track)

ggplot2 is an R package for producing visualizations of data. In this workshop you will learn about the conceptual framework based on the grammar of graphics which allows users to build customizable plots with ggplot2. You will learn to create commonly used data visualizations like scatterplots or boxplots, add statistical annotations such as regression lines, and customize the layouts, fonts and colors for your visualizations.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with R at the level of the R Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory R workshop, or be a self-taught R coder.  Prior to the workshop, please ensure that you have R, Rstudio and the tidyverse library installed on your computer. You can find information on how to do it here: https://sites.northwestern.edu/researchcomputing/resources/r-and-rstudio/

Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 1:30⁠–3 PM
Creating Static Figures with Python + matplotlib
(Python Track)

Learn the basics of making visualizations in Python with the sophisticated plotting library MatPlotLib.

This workshop will cover:
1) the basic elements of a plot in MatPlotLib;
2) the code format for making a plot;
3) how to customize the title, axis labels, legend, etc.;
4) basic plots using both continuous and categorial data; and
5) where to find code that you can adapt for your custom plots.

Led by Colby Witherup Wood, Manager of Data Science Services at Research Computing and Data Services

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with Python at the level of the Python Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory Python workshop, or be a self-taught Python coder.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 3⁠–4 PM
Drop-in office hours
(General Track)

Whether you have attended one of the morning sessions or not, feel free to drop by if you have any questions about data visualization. Bring your mapping, R, Python, or other visualization project and we'll help you!

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA; Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries; and Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: None.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 9:30⁠–11 AM
Creating Static Maps with ArcPro and QGIS
(Mapping Track)

Enhance your map-making skills in this intermediate workshop focused on creating static maps with ArcGIS Pro and QGIS. This session will explore intermediate aspects of map design, including symbology, custom layouts, and effective data presentation techniques. By the end of the workshop, participants will have hands-on experience in producing and sharing static maps suitable for publications, posters, or presentations. While familiarity with spatial data and GIS is preferred, it is not required.

Led by Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries/Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: Participants will have the opportunity to work through examples using ArcGIS Pro and QGIS. To download and install QGIS, please visit: https://qgis.org/. ArcPro is only compatible with Windows, to download please visit our homepage for instructions: https://northwestern.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html. Non-Windows users can also access ArcPro through NUworkspace. 

Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 11 AM⁠–12:30 PM
Creating Interactive Figures with R + Shiny
(R Track)

Shiny lets you build interactive dashboards and websites with R without knowing HTML, CSS, or Javascript. Create tools for yourself, or share your data, analysis, and visualizations with the world through simple apps and interfaces. This workshop covers the core components and syntax needed to build a Shiny application, and it provides a foundation for you to explore more advanced topics with Shiny's documentation on your own.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with R at the level of the R Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory R workshop, or be a self-taught R coder.  Prior to the workshop, please download the files in our GitHub repo (https://github.com/nuitrcs/IntroToRShiny) and ensure that you have the necessary libraries installed on your computer, as described in the README file on GitHub. You can find information about how to download files from GitHub here: https://sites.northwestern.edu/researchcomputing/resources/downloading-from-github/

Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 1:30–3 PM
Visualizing Data with Seaborn
(Python Track)

Seaborn is a powerful Python library that makes it easy to create informative and attractive statistical graphics. In this workshop, we’ll cover the basics of Seaborn, including how to create different types of plots, customize them, and interpret the results.

Led by Yangyang Li, Ph.D. Candidate and Data Visualization Student Consultant at Research Computing and Data Services

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with Python at the level of the Python Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory Python workshop, or be a self-taught Python coder.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 3–4 PM
Drop-in office hours
(General Track)

Whether you have attended one of the morning sessions or not, feel free to drop by if you have any questions about data visualization. Bring your mapping, R, Python, or other visualization project and we'll help you!

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA; Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries; and Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: None.

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 9:30⁠–11 AM
Using Satellite Imagery To Detect Change with ArcPro
(Mapping Track)

This hands-on session will introduce you to change detection techniques using satellite imagery in ArcPro. This workshop will explore methods for analyzing and interpreting satellite data to identify and quantify landuse changes over time. Participants should have a basic understanding of satellite imagery and GIS to fully benefit from the workshop. While active participation is encouraged, those interested in observing are also welcome.

Led by Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: Participants should have a basic understanding of satellite imagery and GIS to fully benefit from the workshop. While active participation is encouraged, those interested in observing are also welcome. Please have ArcPro downloaded and installed prior to the workshop (see https://northwestern.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html), or, for non-Windows users, please use NUworkspace.

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 11 AM⁠–12:30 PM
Creating Interactive Dashboards with R + Flexdashboard
(R Track)

Flexdashboard is an open-source R library that uses R Markdown to simplify the creation of dashboards. In this workshop you will learn how to create a dashboard with interactive elements using flexdashboard and other R libraries.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with R at the level of the R Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory R workshop, or be a self-taught R coder.  Some familiarity with Shiny is helpful but not required.  Prior to the workshop, please download the files in our GitHub repo (https://github.com/nuitrcs/IntroToFlexdashboard) and ensure that you have the necessary libraries installed on your computer, as described in the README file on GitHub. You can find information about how to download files from GitHub here: https://sites.northwestern.edu/researchcomputing/resources/downloading-from-github/

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 1:30⁠–3 PM
Creating Interactive Figures with Plotly + Python
(Python Track)

Plotly is a versatile plotting package that can be used with Python to create interactive figures to explore your data in real time. In this workshop you will learn how to create a variety of figures with Plotly. We will explore COVID-19 data together, but I encourage you to bring your own data as well. The workshop will be hands-on, running through a Jupyter notebook.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with Python at the level of the Python Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory Python workshop, or be a self-taught Python coder.  Prior to the workshop, please download the files in our GitHub repo (https://github.com/nuitrcs/IntroToPlotly) and follow the directions in the README file to install plotly (or access the Colab notebook).  You can find information about how to download files from GitHub here: https://sites.northwestern.edu/researchcomputing/resources/downloading-from-github/

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 3⁠–4 PM
Drop-in office hours
(General Track)

Whether you have attended one of the morning sessions or not, feel free to drop by if you have any questions about data visualization. Bring your mapping, R, Python, or other visualization project and we'll help you!

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA;  Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries; and Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: None

Friday, September 13, 2024, 10–11 AM
Exploring 3D Data with ParaView
(General Track)

ParaView enables real time visualization and exploration of three-dimensional data sets. The ParaView software is open-source and multi-platform and contains many tools for both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. In this workshop we will explore an example data set and learn how to use a variety of ParaView's built-in tools.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: Prior to the workshop, please install ParaView on your computer from their website: https://www.paraview.org/. No prior knowledge or coding experience is required.  Please also download the contents of our GitHub repo (https://github.com/nuitrcs/IntroToParaView), which contains the data we will explore in the workshop. You can find information about how to download files from GitHub here: https://sites.northwestern.edu/researchcomputing/resources/downloading-from-github/

Friday, September 13, 2024, 11:30 AM⁠–1 PM
Making publication-ready figures in R
(R Track)

In this workshop we will learn how to create professional looking figures with custom themes and packages built specifically for scientific data visualization, arrange multiple graphs into a single figure, and best practices for exporting your figures to maximize resolution and keep figure text editable. We will also learn to add annotations such as p-values for statistical significance, or regression lines with confidence bands to graphs.

Led by Ritika Giri, Data Scientist at Research Computing and Data Services

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with R at the level of the R Fundamentals Bootcamp, another introductory R workshop, or be a self-taught R coder. Participants should also have basic familiarity with the ggplot2 package.

Friday, September 13, 2024, 2 PM⁠–3 PM
Data exploration using Glue
(General Track)

Data exploration is an important initial step in any research project, where you might examine your data by creating many plots, select different regions in parameter space to investigate, and explore how different datasets relate to one another. The Glue visualization application (https://glueviz.org/) is an easy, but powerful, way to explore a variety of data types across multiple disciplines without any coding. In this workshop, I will provide an introduction to the basic functions of Glue through hands-on exercises.

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA

Prerequisites: Prior to the workshop please install Glue on your own computer; instructions can be found on this workshop's GitHub repository : https://github.com/nuitrcs/IntroToGlue. On GitHub, I provide a handful of datasets, though I also encourage you to bring your own data to explore with Glue. No prior coding experience is needed.

Friday, September 13, 2024, 3 PM⁠–4 PM
Drop-in office hours
(General Track)

Whether you have attended one of the morning sessions or not, feel free to drop by if you have any questions about data visualization. Bring your mapping, R, Python, or other visualization project and we'll help you!

Led by Aaron Geller, Senior Data Visualization Specialist at Research Computing and Data Services and Research Associate Professor at CIERA; Méch Frazier, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Northwestern Libraries; and Kelsey Rydland, Head of Digital Scholarship and Research Data Management at the Northwestern Libraries

Prerequisites: None.