Editör: Özge Eda Kaya, Istanbul Medeniyet University
In today's information era, the heart of academic research and learning revolves around data and its compelling presentation. Researchers not only share their findings but also try to visualize this information and make it interactive and understandable. At this point, Flourish is an important online platform for analyzing, visualizing, and sharing data. In this blog post, we will explore how Flourish can be used in academic studies and how data visualization is transformed from just a presentation tool into a form of expression. For anyone who is an expert in data visualization or a newcomer to the field, we will provide information about the features Flourish offers and the potential of this tool in education and research.
What is Flourish?
Flourish is a web-based platform used for data visualization and storytelling. It enables users to transform complex data sets into interactive graphics, maps, and storytelling tools. Flourish is frequently preferred by journalists, educators, researchers, and professionals. This platform makes visualizing complex data and creating compelling stories easily, offering a user-friendly interface that does not require technical knowledge.
Some of Flourish's key features include:
●Diverse Visualization Options: Supports numerous types of visualizations, such as bar charts, line graphs, maps, and network diagrams.
●Interactivity: Allows users to interact with the graphs and maps created, enabling them to click on data points for more information.
●Customizability: Users can tailor their projects to their needs using various customization options, including colors, fonts, and layouts.
●Storytelling: Flourish facilitates the presentation of data in a story format, making information more understandable and interactive.
●Easy Sharing and Integration: Visualizations can be easily integrated into websites or shared on social media and other platforms.
●Data Import: Data can be imported from various sources, including Excel, CSV, and Google Sheets.
“Flourish offers more than just simple line graphs. It provides a wide range of options for the user, supporting maps, diagrams, column charts, and many other types of graphics.”
With Flourish, you can create many maps and graphs for free, and there's no need to install any software on your computer. Let's create a visualization together using the completely web-based Flourish!
After registering for free on the Flourish application, the “My Projects” page will welcome you.
By clicking on “Create New Visualization,” Flourish draws you into the application with its rich variety of graphic types. Here, you'll find both free and paid options.
You can start your work by selecting the template that best suits your data set. In this blog post, we will visualize data obtained from the 1915 alphabetical list of neighborhoods in Beyoglu and Uskudar in Istanbul, specifically focusing on police stations under the Uskudar Military Branch.
First, we upload our data set to the application to begin visualization. After completing the upload, we determine the existing coordinate data in the second section shown. We can follow the appearance of our prepared map in the “Preview” section shown in the third part.
In the shown sections, you can make adjustments to your map, such as changing the base layer and adjusting fonts.
After creating your map, it is now ready to download!
You can easily share the graphics you create with Flourish and integrate them into websites. This feature enables you to share your data with a wider audience and engage them.
In this brief introduction to Flourish, we have seen how the platform is not only a tool for visualizing data but also a powerful instrument for creating meaningful and interactive stories. As demonstrated, the platform offers unique opportunities to not only display data but to bring it to life and tell its story. The accessibility and adaptability of these visualization techniques enable academic research to reach broader audiences and be understood more effectively.
This platform pushes the boundaries of data visualization, making academic work more interactive, understandable, and appealing. Flourish is proving itself as a new form of expression in data-focused disciplines, shaping the future of academic communication.
As we conclude this blog post, we realize that Flourish is not just a tool, but also represents a new dimension of academic thought and learning. Therefore, it is key for every academician and student to familiarize themselves with Flourish, explore its offerings, and integrate it into their own research and learning processes. In your data visualization journey, Flourish is not just a starting point but also a continual companion.