From Chaos to Clarity

JAMES EAGLE is the founder of Eeagli, which combines innovative data visualisation and storytelling for many renowned institutions around the world. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice and regularly speaks at conferences and writes about issues that shape the world today.

• Preface xiIntroduction 1Chapter 1 Data Visualisation Is Written in Our DNA 7The Dawn of Maps and Abstract Thought 9The Roots of Visual Communication 11Human Minds Are Pattern-Seeking Machines 12William Playfair and the Birth of Modern Charts 19Navigating the Era of Information Overload 20Why Visual Literacy Is the New Survival Skill 21Chapter 2 Technology Makes Us Fragile 25Systems, Networks and Hidden Fragility 27The New Global Scale of Exploitation 28Floods of Data, Deficits of Wisdom 30Simulations, Pandemics and the Cost of Inaction 34The Transformative Power of Data Visualisation 35Chapter 3 Fighting Data Pollution 43Lies Are the First Symptom of Data Pollution 44The Deadly Impact of Data Pollution 47Desensitisation and the Invisibility of Data Pollution 49Data Visualisation as a Tool to Combat Misinformation 51Cognitive Pitfalls and the Spread of Half-Truths 53Information Overload and Social Inequality 55Information Overload and Social Inequality 56The Moral Responsibility of Data Visualisation 60Chapter 4 AI and Data Visualisation Become Allies 63A New Technology Gold Rush 64The Cognitive Cost of Technological Reliance 66Fighting Misinformation with AI 68Defending Against Extremism and Manipulated Visualisations 71AI as a Sparring Partner and Impartial Critic 75Liberating and Democratising Data 76Mosaic Theory and the Risks of Weaponising Data 77Privacy, Intellectual Property and Open Data 79Chapter 5 Data Is Inherently Bias 83The Great Financial Crisis 84Subprime Mortgages: A Lesson in Hubris 85When Data Visualisation Fails Humanity 86The Flawed Assumptions Behind MBS 87Biased Data at the Heart of the Crisis 91Inflation and Evolving Economic Forces 96GDP and the Shifting Nature of Data 98Why Accepting Data Bias Matters 99Chapter 6 Economics Is a Dismal Science 103The Enduring Legacy of Malthus’s Mistake 104The Lewis Model and the Promise of Industrialisation 106An Invented Lecture and the Power of False Stories 109Chapter 7 Risk Should Be Seen Not Heard About 125The Universal Allure of the Normal Curve 126A Self-Imposed Fog: When Scientists Shunned Visuals 128The Monte Carlo Moment: Random Numbers as Graffiti 133Chapter 8 The Dark Side of the Dial Tone 147The Vulnerabilities in a Trust-Based System 151Chapter 9 Visualising the Climate War 165Cutting Through Climate Data Overload 166When Animation Speaks Louder than Words 169The Future Is Interactive 170Shining a Light on Climate Injustice 176Burning Embers and the Paris Agreement 178A New Generation of Climate Activists 182Uniting Science, Society and Justice 183Chapter 10 Poverty and Wealth 187Chapter 11 Data Deception in Politics 207Cambridge Analytica’s Origins and Influence 209The Dark Side of Politics 209Facebook Data Turn from Asset into Liability 211Re-evaluating Facebook’s Transparency 213Election Misinformation and Data Manipulation 214Online Manipulation and the Arms Race Against Fake Accounts 217How Data Visualisation Can Help 218Data Visualisation and Freedom of Speech 220A Future Balanced on Data 223Chapter 12 Visualising Healthcare for a Better Tomorrow 227Electronic Health Records and Patient Monitoring 229Medical Imaging and Diagnostics 231Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology 232A Shocking Murder and the High Cost of Healthcare 235Public Health and Population-Level Interventions 238Clinical Research and Drug Development 240Healthcare Resource Management 242Cognitive Biases in Medicine and the Role of Visualisation 243Reshaping the Narrative of Healthcare 244Towards a Healthier, Data-Driven Future 245Chapter 13 Educating Through Data Visualisation 249Education Is Crucial in a Data-Saturated World 252Specialisation Can Actually Make Us Fragile 256Data Visualisation Taps into the Power of Visual Thinking 257Bring the World into the Classroom 259Overcoming Misinformation Through Visual Literacy 260How Technology Can Be Used for Data-Driven Learning 262Barriers and Ethical Dilemmas 264Data Visualisation as a Catalyst for Global Awareness 264Chapter 14 Seeing Our Way to Survival 269The Epoch of Data 270Revisiting the Warning Signs 271Data Visualisation as Human Storytelling 272Ethical Frameworks and Education 274The Imperative of Continuous Learning 275A Call to Arms for Change 275A Return to Ethan 277Final Reflections 279References 283About the Author 291Index 293