Learning To See Data

This book is associated with the 'Data Literacy Level 1' on-demand online course: https://dataliteracy.com/courses/data-literacy-level-1 For most of us, it's rare to go a full day without coming across data in the form of a chart, map or dashboard. Graphical displays of data are all around us, from performance indicators at work to election trackers on the news to traffic maps on the road. But few of us have received training or instruction in how to actually read and interpret them. How many times have we been misled simply because we aren't aware of the pitfalls to avoid when interpreting data visualizations. Learning to See Data will teach you the different ways that data can be encoded in graphical form, and it will give you a deeper understanding of the way our human visual system interprets these encodings. You will also learn about the most common chart types, and the situations in which they are most appropriate. From basic bar charts to overused pie charts to helpful maps and many more, a wide array of chart types are covered in detail, and conventions, pitfalls, strengths and weaknesses of each of them are revealed. This book will help you develop fluency in the interpretation of charts, an ability that we all need to hone and perfect if we are to make meaningful contributions in the professional, public and personal arenas of life. The principles covered in it also serve as a critical background for anyone looking to create charts that others will be able to understand. "This book is clear and evocative, thorough and thoughtful, and remarkably readable: a marvelous launchpad into the world of data." –Tamara Munzner, Professor, University of British Columbia Computer Science "Everyone of us needs good data literacy skills to survive in the modern world. Without them, it's hard to succeed at work, or survive the onslaught of information (and misinformation) across all our media. Ben's book provides the necessary building blocks for a strong foundation. From that foundation, Ben's approach will inspire you to own the process of developing your skills further." –Andy Cotgreave, Technical Evangelism Director, Tableau

Lean production is the gold standard in production systems, but has proven famously difficult to implement in North America. Mass production relies on large inventories, uses "push" processes and struggles with long lead times. Moving towards a system that eliminates muda ("waste") caused by overproduction, while challenging, proves necessary for improved efficiency. Often overlooked, value stream mapping is the essential planning stage for any Lean transformation. In Mike Rother and John Shook's essential guide, you follow the value stream mapping undertaken for Acme Stamping, for its current and future state. Fully illustrated and well-organized, Learning to See is a must-see for the value stream manager.

'A statistical national treasure' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2 'Required reading for all politicians, journalists, medics and anyone who tries to influence people (or is influenced) by statistics. A tour de force' Popular Science Do busier hospitals have higher survival rates? How many trees are there on the planet? Why do old men have big ears? David Spiegelhalter reveals the answers to these and many other questions - questions that can only be addressed using statistical science. Statistics has played a leading role in our scientific understanding of the world for centuries, yet we are all familiar with the way statistical claims can be sensationalised, particularly in the media. In the age of big data, as data science becomes established as a discipline, a basic grasp of statistical literacy is more important than ever. In The Art of Statistics, David Spiegelhalter guides the reader through the essential principles we need in order to derive knowledge from data. Drawing on real world problems to introduce conceptual issues, he shows us how statistics can help us determine the luckiest passenger on the Titanic, whether serial killer Harold Shipman could have been caught earlier, and if screening for ovarian cancer is beneficial. 'Shines a light on how we can use the ever-growing deluge of data to improve our understanding of the world' Nature

Radically reimagine our ways of being, learning, and doing Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on "fixing" and "filling" academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the student up—with classrooms, schools and systems built around students’ brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential. Street data reminds us that what is measurable is not the same as what is valuable and that data can be humanizing, liberatory and healing. By breaking down street data fundamentals: what it is, how to gather it, and how it can complement other forms of data to guide a school or district’s equity journey, Safir and Dugan offer an actionable framework for school transformation. Written for educators and policymakers, this book · Offers fresh ideas and innovative tools to apply immediately · Provides an asset-based model to help educators look for what’s right in our students and communities instead of seeking what’s wrong · Explores a different application of data, from its capacity to help us diagnose root causes of inequity, to its potential to transform learning, and its power to reshape adult culture Now is the time to take an antiracist stance, interrogate our assumptions about knowledge, measurement, and what really matters when it comes to educating young people.

Learn how to use R to turn raw data into insight, knowledge, and understanding. This book introduces you to R, RStudio, and the tidyverse, a collection of R packages designed to work together to make data science fast, fluent, and fun. Suitable for readers with no previous programming experience, R for Data Science is designed to get you doing data science as quickly as possible. Authors Hadley Wickham and Garrett Grolemund guide you through the steps of importing, wrangling, exploring, and modeling your data and communicating the results. You'll get a complete, big-picture understanding of the data science cycle, along with basic tools you need to manage the details. Each section of the book is paired with exercises to help you practice what you've learned along the way. You'll learn how to: Wrangle—transform your datasets into a form convenient for analysis Program—learn powerful R tools for solving data problems with greater clarity and ease Explore—examine your data, generate hypotheses, and quickly test them Model—provide a low-dimensional summary that captures true "signals" in your dataset Communicate—learn R Markdown for integrating prose, code, and results

An interdisciplinary framework for learning methodologies—covering statistics, neural networks, and fuzzy logic, this book provides a unified treatment of the principles and methods for learning dependencies from data. It establishes a general conceptual framework in which various learning methods from statistics, neural networks, and fuzzy logic can be applied—showing that a few fundamental principles underlie most new methods being proposed today in statistics, engineering, and computer science. Complete with over one hundred illustrations, case studies, and examples making this an invaluable text.

Until recently, many people thought big data was a passing fad. "Data science" was an enigmatic term. Today, big data is taken seriously, and data science is considered downright sexy. With this anthology of reports from award-winning journalist Mike Barlow, you’ll appreciate how data science is fundamentally altering our world, for better and for worse. Barlow paints a picture of the emerging data space in broad strokes. From new techniques and tools to the use of data for social good, you’ll find out how far data science reaches. With this anthology, you’ll learn how: Analysts can now get results from their data queries in near real time Indie manufacturers are blurring the lines between hardware and software Companies try to balance their desire for rapid innovation with the need to tighten data security Advanced analytics and low-cost sensors are transforming equipment maintenance from a cost center to a profit center CIOs have gradually evolved from order takers to business innovators New analytics tools let businesses go beyond data analysis and straight to decision-making Mike Barlow is an award-winning journalist, author, and communications strategy consultant. Since launching his own firm, Cumulus Partners, he has represented major organizations in a number of industries.

Collaborative inquiry + effective use of data = significant leaps in learning and achievement! This resource combines a powerful collaborative inquiry process, reflective dialogue, and rigorous use of data to improve outcomes for all students. The editor and contributors provide detailed examples of schools that have demonstrated dramatic gains by building collaborative cultures, nurturing ongoing inquiry, and using data systematically. The book shows school leaders how to: Implement collaborative inquiry to meet accountability mandates Build and support a high-performing data culture Establish a school climate characterized by collective responsibility for student learning and a respect for students’ cultures