Mathematica Data Visualization

by Nazmus Saquib

Create and prototype interactive data visualizations using Mathematica If you are planning to create data analysis and visualization tools in the context of science, engineering, economics, or social science, then this book is for you. With this book, you will become a visualization expert, in a short time, using Mathematica. Mathematica, developed and maintained by Wolfram Research, is a trusted and popular tool used to analyze and visualize data. This book begins by introducing you to the Mathematica environment and the basics of dataset loading and cleaning. You will then learn about the different kinds of widely used datasets so that you are comfortable with the later chapters. Then, in the subsequent chapters, you will learn about time series, scientific, statistical, information, and map visualizations. Each topic is demonstrated by walking you through an example project. Along the way, the dynamic interactivity and graphics packages are also introduced. Finally, the book ends with a brief discussion of color maps and aesthetics issues. Using this book, you will learn how to build visualizations from scratch, quickly and efficiently.

146 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Godwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of the e-book. That said, I'll keep my review as objective as possible.
This book is about data visualization using Mathematica, that means this book is not going to teach you how to master Mathematica. The fact that the book is only about 140 pages should give that away, since Mathematica is a huge programming tool and any serious book that teaches you how to master it should be about 500 pages at least.
One of the advantages of this book is that it concentrates on the one aspect of Mathematica - Graphics - that's not common among available Mathematica books (In general there are four: Symbolics, Numerics, Programming and Graphics). Mathematica's graphics internals were completely redone in version 6 and I can't seem to find any book that focuses on the graphics aspect after this retooling. Another good thing is that this book uses the newest version of the software (version 10), that means you get to see how to use the new additions to the language and this book does a good job in showcasing them.
The chapter on time series and scientific visualization is pure gold. Since I'm a chemist, I found the example project on protein molecule visualization to be enlightening. Chapter 4 on statistical and information visualization is another nice chapter that touches on various charting methods, distribution shapes and other cool statistical visualization tools like the numerous gauges present in Mathematica. I found the subsection on choosing the right color map in Chapter 5 to be illuminating and the overall showcase of Mathematica 10's GeoGraphics package to be nice.
While I have a lot of praise for this book, there are some things that needs to be addressed in a future version. I felt like there was no in-depth coverage of any of the topics covered. The intro to Mathematica presented was too light and doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what one can do with Mathematica. I know I said this book is not supposed to teach one Mathematica, but if you're going to put any kind of intro then it should be worth it. I expected to see a lot of graphics as this is a visualization book, I was disappointed by the amount of graphics present. The size of the book is surprisingly small (about 140 pages) and gives the impression that not a lot is covered in this book.
Overall, I think this is a decent intro to data visualization using Mathematica and is a book I can recommend to anyone looking to learn the graphics aspect of Mathematica in addition to learning how to represent data visually.

[Andre Koppel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is written for persons who are new in using Mathematica and/or creating graphics (even interactive ones) using Mathematica. Beginning with simple information about how to manipulate data to create simple graphics using the Mathematicas build in features up to really big 3D and vertex visualization it covers a really big range.
It contains detailed instructions about using several techniques to create some sophisticated animations. It contains details about the usage of the buildin Mathematica functions Manipulate and Dynamic and it contains hints to other books and Web sites worth reading. Even if some chapters are not easy to understand for a beginner, the book gives several hints. It shows several ways throughout the jungle of the Mathematicas build in visualisation functions. It's the readers job to experiment with the given code trying other options.
It's not a book for persons who are doing visualisation using Mathematica for several years, because possibly they know all the details described, but it's absolutely worth reading for a beginner. Especially the first part of the book describes the details of manipulating data to create (or transform) datasets that can be visualised. For an experienced Mathematica user this is boring, but for a newcomer these chapters are absolutely crusial. A novice user becomes familiar with data manipulation basics step by step.
Within the last chapters there are details about building very impressing animated 2D and 3D animations using Mathematica with only some lines of code.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love data, math, stats and I love to visualize information. But Mathematica has always been, and remains the forbidden fruit to me (due to its cost). Therefore I was very glad to agree on an opportunity to review Mathematica Data Visualization. The book stood to its promise. I liked every page of it. The is book is packed with insightful examples to producing all (or most) the most common graphs and charts a data scientist may need in ones professional life. What I actually initially expected is to read the book for a few weeks, but finished it in one evening. Pity, I could not install comparable software on my Linux laptop to try the visualizations out myself. But I was touched by the sheer visualization offerings. Mathematica seems to be the only one that offers Paired Histograms, and I wasn't expecting it to feature a full support to Geo-visualizations (maps and paths).
Nazmus is a super skilled professional, he sure brings a lot to the table, I mean to the reader of the book. I would like to have another book from him on the actual programming in Mathematica with a real project coverage.
It is a very high quality book with many reference links to other relevant literature which will enable you to expand your knowledge further. Good investment at ~ $22 in my view and it actually can be used as an evaluation to using Mathematica in your next project or research.
Again, good book, 5 out of 5.
Disclaimer: I received a free ebook version of this book for review purposes from the publisher.

[Ivan Idris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunitha P. from Packt Publishing provided me with an e-copy of “Mathematica Data Visualization. The book has 136 pages and has the following 5 chapters:

Chapter 1, Visualization as a Tool to Understand Data gives an introduction to Mathematica. Which is great, because I haven’t used Mathematica in quite a while.
Chapter 2, Dissecting Data Using Mathematica is about importing data and basic plotting with Mathematica.
Chapter 3, Time Series and Scientific Visualization teaches time series and molecule visualization.
Chapter 4, Statistical and Information Visualization has examples of text analysis and graph visualization.
Chapter 5, Maps and Aesthetics makes some remarks about color maps. I think that pretty much every visualization book raises those points.

Mathematica Data Visualization is a great book about visualization. I particularly liked the chort diagrams example. Although the book is on the short side, the author compensates by giving references for futher reading in each chapter.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It a fantastic lightweight introduction to creating a variety of visualizations using. It starts off with a general introduction to the topic, along with some of the ways of thinking about data, and then moves on to the practice and art of looking at data and sharing data. The authors definitely channel Tufte and other greats in the field, sharing useful guidance for selecting color schemes, simplifying, and creating interactive visualizations. They are not limited in focus, analyzing social graphs, maps and paths, economic data, lists, and the physical form of currencies in their examples that are drawn from real-world applications. Overall, if this is a topic of interest I highly recommend Mathematica as a tool, and Mathematica Data Visualization as a guide. Disclosure: while I was not compensated, I did receive an electronic copy of the book for review.

[David A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one handy reference to keep on your bookshelf. It’s a bit dense with Mathematica (please do not attempt this book if you are alone and new to Mathematica) formulas and logic, but if you are proficient in this language, this is a welcome introduction to data visualization. There are examples for everyone, ranging from a great overview of mapping visualization to even showing the linkage between terrorists involved in East African Embassy bombings (who knew there was a way to visualize this cohort). Absolutely download this book from the PacktPub site because you’ll be able to import the Mathematica notebooks and access the extra content. I’ve learned a lot from this book and I see the immediate applications in my own work.

[Antonio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Competent book, but too short and wordy.