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Data Visualization

Learn about best practices and tools to visualize data using charts and maps.

Data + Built-In Visualization

Site Where Type What it does best

Access

Statista  Global Charts

Easily find and focus on important statistics with pre-made Bar or Line Charts by country or globally. Little customization.

Data: 80,000 diverse topics of data and facts from over 18,000 international sources.

Mason
Sage Data Global Charts

Best for line (trend) or bar (rank) chars and to compare or drill-down over time or by geography. No image export.

Data: Federal agencies, states, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations. State and local data on topics such as healthcare, crime, education, employment, & religion, and more. Mostly US-focused with some international coverage.

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Social Explorer  Global Maps

The most user-friendly mapping tool with nice customizability and annotation. Can browse topics, but not search.

Data: Current and historical census data and demographic information. US Census (back to 1790), American Community Survey, religious data and more (library subscription)

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Census Reporter  USA Charts

Best for location profiles or interactive distribution charts that show how a specific location places relative to others on multiple characteristics. No image export.

Data: US Census

Open
SimplyAnalytics  USA Maps

Make maps through a modern slick interface. Sometimes confusing because of the many options.Can create accounts to save work.

Data: Recent demographic, business, and marketing data from Census (1980+), American Community Survey, Simmons and MRI Consumer Survey data and more.

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LEHD OnTheMap  USA Maps

Make maps for labor/employment data. Best for focusing on very specific areas (e.g., towns)

Data: Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics: a combination of Federal, state, and other Census data on employers and employees

Open
Gapminder Tools Global Charts

A great tool for examining or comparing country characteristics over time in a slick animated chart or graph. No image export.

Data: Focused on social, economic and environmental development.

Open
Google Public Data Explorer  Global Charts

Best for comparisons with line or Bubble charts (up to 4 variables). No image export.

Data: Large, public-interest datasets including US Census Bureau, Euostate, Data.go.uk, and the World Bank.

Open
LandScan Global Archives Global Maps

Best for seeing population density, or counting people within an area.

Data: Population for every 30" x30" area over the entire globe, excluding Antarctica. Updated annually.

* Contact the GIS Librarian to access the raw data via ArcGIS. . 

Mason