This Visual Communication of Data Professional Skills Module (PSM)for Yale School of the Environment graduate students was led by Dr. Jennifer Marlon, Executive Director of the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions, along with Dr. Simon Queenborough, Senior Lecturer & Senior Research Scientist at the Yale School of the Environment and Mrs. John (Elizabeth W.) Musser Director of the Yale Tropical Resources Institute; Dr. Andis Arietta, Machine Learning, AI & Causal Analytics Lead at Teach for America; and Yeim We, YCGS Earth Observation Lab Assistant.
The workshop focused on strengthening students’ skills in designing effective visualizations by examining the essential components of impactful charts, selecting appropriate chart types based on audience needs, and understanding primary data formats for visualization. Instructors introduced five key guidelines for human-centered design, emphasizing the role of human perception in creating meaningful and accessible charts.
Participants gained hands-on experience by formatting datasets and creating human-centered, design-oriented graphics using Datawrapper. The workshop also provided an overview of AI tools in data visualization, highlighting their capabilities and limitations, and introduced innovative tools to enhance this process.
