Digital Humanities

Big Bang Data // DigiHumans 3213 // #CNMDH

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Final Project

Objectives:

To help audiences of all ages understand how the art market works

To help audiences understand how art is valued within the art market

Data for the common good: not a lot is known about the art market as it tends to be very closed off from the public eye. Creating the game will allow for a greater audience awareness of what goes on within the art world.

Takes data from:

Artprice and Artnet, which are databases of art auctions prices and indices, artist rankings according to their market value and detailed auction results.

Eventual final product:

Gamification of data - map out art prices and indices.  The game would be based around selecting a single artist and attempting to find out how to push the price of their artwork up by the end of their lifetime.

Details:

To attain a higher pricing, players need to play cards that

Detail provenance (came from loc A at year X, went to loc B at year Y etc.)

Details of the artwork (specific painterly qualities etc)

Artist’s life history (years)

Historical Periods during that time (significant key events)

Galleries which the artwork can be sold at (early white cube or saatchi gallery etc.)

Auction houses for resale value (the big four galleries)

Key questions:

How to create a search database that filters down appropriate data (not sure where to start with this)

Critical lost points:

Artworks that haven’t been auctioned before aren’t listed in the databases

There’s no real way to describe the cultural value

How to value the personal enjoyment?

Specific to fine art

Proposed softwares - I’m not sure if this is relevent:

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WEEK 8 GOOGLE FUSION

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=127c4FpBi8KBhdtSRR1nQRrKBD1Z3UeyHwv77dkFo

So first off, my link to my fusion table is above and i’ve looked at the article Final Fantasy 3 by Tao Lin (https://granta.com/final-fantasy-iii/). The story mainly looks at the dynamic relationship between parent and child, alongside divergent ideas of cultural differences and even generational differences. It also explores the ideas of what one would call home, and if the ideology of a place is enough to represent home to someone.

I split my fusion table into several elements, characterized by their relation to the narrator. The categories I split the table down into categories as such:

1. Character

2. Knows (who -  in other words, other characters)

3. Locations together at (which locations do they converge at)

4. Sex

5. Talks about (what is the topic they talk about)

A key interaction I have noticed from the table graphs are that the interactions between the narrator and other characters are very individualistic and have a tendency to end without any interaction between other characters.

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Week 7 Class Time 5 DH Projects!

Here’s my response to these questions below~

Think about and describe - what are these projects trying to do?

These projects aim to make an interactive education model of an event or an object or a speech. These projects aim to educate the reader through an interactive perspective, allowing the user to filter through certain data and observe the data set thorough specific perspectives which they user would like to explore. 

Are the projects doing something that a book or article couldn’t do? If so, what?

The projects are specifically created to be non-static and non-linear. In other words, they are (in a way) deviating highly from what a book or article can do. A book or article tends to give you information from a certain perspective (perhaps the author’s or the editorial team’s perspective) no matter how neutral they try to get. In contrast to that, the projects that we are looking at can give us the facts in a more neutral manner, allowing us to explore everything from every perspective possible through tools that allow us to sort through the data. Furthermore, there is a sense of interactivity and non-linearity as they way of exploration is left up to the user, rather than having to follow a set path.

How would you classify each of these projects (e.g., history, literature, philosophy …)?

I would classify the projects as such –

1. Aegaron (Ancient Egyptian Architecture Online) is a historical project. 2. Quantifying Kissinger would be a dual categorized project, both historical and political in nature 3. Slave voyages would be classified as historical and geographic in nature (looking at human geography and the movement of people) 4. Kindred Britain would be historical and humanistic in nature as it explores the linkages between important historical figures 5. King’s “I have a dream” Speech would be political and philosophical in nature to me.

What do you like about these projects?

I like how these projects have a self-exploratory vibe about them and how they encourage thinking and connections to different topics from their main central topic. 

What do you dislike or how would you improve them?

I dislike the fact that the data sets are taken from past events and thus tend to be a one-off thing. I hope to see these projects be able to evolve as the world evolves around them, like an ongoing project. Although this isn’t exactly realistic, with the mass of data found around us, I hope that one day it can become a reality.

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Tableau (Link below)

Okay so somehow my entire chunk of text I wrote for the link below to my data visualization did not show up. Here it is in a new post!

This is the data vizualization which I formed on Tableau from using the data set: Death rates (by state) from various causes, as well as information on related factors (such as age distribution and urbanization). From the Statistical Abstract of the United States.

This vizualization was extremely important to me as it allowed me to understand what statistical numbers can’t tell us and what visualizations can. Now before ya’ll start stringing up a line for me because I (according to the article provided to us on choosing the right visualization type for your data) have chosen the wrong vizualization type for my data - I’d like to explain myself. Before looking at the data set, I asked myself “what do I assume of this data set?” I knew I wanted to focus on non-natural causes of death, and from more exploration, I realized the biggest assumption I had about a non-natural cause of death was that I expected it to statistically be consistent to state size. In other words, I expected that the larger the country was, the more suicides there would be. However, I was proven wrong when I put the data into the vizualization, and though it’s not a map vizualization, I found the mosaic to be the clearest way to display this. The size of the mosaic tile corresponds to the size of the state, and the darkness of colour corresponds to the number of suicides. Thus, the darker the colour, the more suicides there are.

Side note: Tableau isn’t an easy software. It’s not hard either, but it’s really not easy to get the hang of (or grip of) even with lynda and video help. :/

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This is the data vizualization which I formed on Tableau from using the data set: Death rates (by state) from various causes, as well as information on related factors (such as age distribution and urbanization). From the Statistical Abstract of the United States.

This vizualization was extremely important to me as it allowed me to understand what statistical numbers can’t tell us and what visualizations can. Now before ya’ll start stringing up a line for me because I (according to the article provided to us on choosing the right visualization type for your data) have chosen the wrong vizualization type for my data - I’d like to explain myself. Before looking at the data set, I asked myself “what do I assume of this data set?” I knew I wanted to focus on non-natural causes of death, and from more exploration, I realized the biggest assumption I had about a non-natural cause of death was that I expected it to statistically be consistent to state size. In other words, I expected that the larger the country was, the more suicides there would be. However, I was proven wrong when I put the data into the vizualization, and though it’s not a map vizualization, I found the mosaic to be the clearest way to display this. The size of the mosaic tile corresponds to the size of the state, and the darkness of colour corresponds to the number of suicides. Thus, the darker the colour, the more suicides there are.

Side note: Tableau isn’t an easy software. It’s not hard either, but it’s really not easy to get the hang of (or grip of) even with lynda and video help. :/

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Today I’ll be looking at the key words node and network graph. A node is essentially a point in a network or diagram at which lines or pathways intersect or branch. Network graphs are essentially graphs which describe relationships between entities, which in visualizations, are often represented as nodes.

An example of this would be using Scott Weingart’s example in his text, “Networks Demystified 8: When Networks are Inappropriate”. On the left is an example of the image which appeared –  Flight patterns over U.S. depicted in a network graph, with each individual branch connecting to each other through nodal points.

Personally, I found Networks an interesting topic to look at, especially with what Weingart says. In looking at data visualization and network data, we often look so much into the possibilities and future that we forget that there are limitations to what can be done. Furthermore, we don’t often stop to consider whether what can be done, should be done. In Weingart’s text, he highlights several key problems about network structures.

“Network structures are deceitful. They come with a few basic assumptions that are very helpful in certain areas, but extremely dangerous in others, and they are the reason why you shouldn’t analyze a network without thinking through what you’re implying by fitting your data to the standard network model. In this case, the assumption to watch out for is what’s known as a lack of memory.”

In a way, this problem Weingart mentions can be related to what we explored last week – the problem of Capta has surfaced, where humanistic interpretation has caused us to “misinterpret” or disregard the assumptions network structures inherently display.

Furthermore, the idea of a lack of memory is important in looking at the individualism of a person, of a place and understanding the character of a location. Not all two cities evolve the same way, and network structures tend to miss out this point. Not all questions can be answered with a single network, and not all networks can be mapped over each other, with the same sort of understandings being produced.

Another problem mentioned was the ideas of Multimodality. The problem of Multimodality is summed up as such: while networks can help us understand many problems, not all tools are built to allow and enable us to understand multimodal networks.

In the words of Weingart himself:

“If there’s a moral to the story, it’s that there are many networks that can connect the same group of nodes, and many questions that can be asked of any given network, but before trying to use networks to study history, you should be careful to make sure the questions match the network.”

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Response to Week 7

Hey Christie, this part of your post caught my eye: “Futhermore, the parameterizations show certain discrepiancies, in terms of lacking tabs for things like terrorist attacks or suicide. Those two sensitive topics are still important to the ideas of mass killing – whether self-created or dealt through human hands. The parameters within the gif seem to be skewed towards those that would be seen as most socially acceptable versus encompassing all parameters.” Data is indeed hidden because it makes people uncomfortable! For example, suicide rates in Singapore are indeed on the rise, especially among youths - however, I have not seen much elaboration on what the profiles of these suicide cases are. What were their circumstances? What ethnicity did they identify as? What was their socioeconomic status? Without this data, such cases simply look like people who were emotionally weak or susceptible to lapses in judgement - but the reality is that depression is common to all people as a coping mechanism for stress (and by extension, suicide is an extremely real option for us all). All it takes is a bad day. Or a bad decision. Digital humanists should have a responsibility to uphold transparency about their ‘data’ as much as possible, and probably consult external experts for feedback and advice as well (even you managed to spot a hole in their argument). Being critical about data is the only way we can make data critical!

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Drucker-Capta Exercise 2

The data set which I chose to look at is the City Budget, Adjustments and Expenditures since Budget Fiscal Year 2012.

The data sets are expressed numerically for spending, while each numerical data set is represented by three overarching categories: department, fund name and account name. These three overarching categories cover exactly what the city budget should denote: How much money the fund requires, which department it belongs to, and which account (and inferentially, what purpose) this money is used for.

A single record would include a single instance of fund, department, account and numerical representation of how much the record needs.

Wallack and Srinivasan’s definition of ontology (according to the reading) extends the pre-existing digital divide conceptualizations to further investigate the important issue of mismatches between the ontologies of state-created information systems and local communities’ representation of their contexts. Critically, they “argue that the reconciliation of community and state logics and framings is critical for effective engagement with communities as well as formulation and implementation of development policies. We suggest several paths toward overcoming mismatched ontologies: education and communications strategies to enable communities and states to translate across ontologies and fill in significant gaps; re-assignment of policy responsibilities to minimize information loss; and several mechanisms that would enable communities to be directly and productively engaged in developing shared ontologies.”

In other words, they believe that educating people on how to read the data and proper communication of what the data truly means will bridge the divide between how the state structures it’s data and what the data actually means in a physical tangible sense. Within the example I chose, the divide between understanding the economic benefit of the monetary division from each fund is important – especially because each fund’s money has the ability to affect the community (both in terms of infrastructure and societal change). I believe this data will be useful for people who would like to raise a case for more budget from the city council – for example for people who would require more funding for the disabled, or increase in budget to improve the arts scene. This data will also be useful to track and monitor the state’s actions – certain data may be used to cover up spending in other areas, and from there we can make inferences into how transparent the government and state is.

The data set claims to show how spending within the city has been increased since 2012 to 2014, of which in 2014 total fiscal spending was $28,082,788,853.31. The argument presented by the City budget demonstrates their ability to reduce total spending through the reduction of the city budget to $27,710,867,160.47 in the current fiscal year.

What gets left out of the budget is a humanistic effect which demonstrates the effects of the reduction of the budget. With cuts in spending, areas which need signifiant help may drop as well – from shelters to pension funds to funding for the jobless.

If I were to start over with data-collection, I would suggest starting from the standpoint of trying to improve public services and infrastructure first, alongside health services and basic amenities (and in general raising the baseline for standard of living for those in the marginalized groups). This may sound unrealistic but if it were possible, fiscal budgeting and cost savings should be a secondary to community improvement. This is not to say that I would attempt to secure data of financial sectors through free spending – of course in achieving the aims to improve the community, I would request all budgets to be submitted in the most effective manner possible.

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Drucker-Data Exercise 1

The digital archive I chose for this exercise is the BENNETT (WALTER E.) PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION. Visually, I found it to be a captivating series, of which is extra sensory due to the added visual element, which reduces the need for an imaginative description. The photographs also act as a historical repository to depict (in the photographer’s perspective),  what significant events occurred during the time in which the photos were taken. However, what’s missing is a description of how the information in the photos can be related to significant events in the world and also within the society it was captured in. While inferences can be made, we must also note that photography is not often realistic, as the photographer’s cropping and editing may cause the photo to have a shift away from reality. I would remedy these problems by first including a description of the photo alongside it’s relevance in history. Objective facts about the photo and its events would help create a better picture of the relevance of these photos during that time period and how it relates to today’s world as well.

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Nicole: I agree that data is all about interpretation. Different (groups of) people interpret data differently and it shows up when they try to use data to make a point. It is definitely biased, since it is being used to aid a purpose. I also like how you linked this to the Big Bang Data exhibition, as all that raw data was how the artist interpreted it and created that visualisation to show us, the audience.

From Nicole! :)

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WEEK 7.

So today I’ll be looking at the concepts of Capta and Parameterization.

According to the readings I referenced (Johanna Drucker) explains capta as such: “the concept of data as a given has to be rethought through a humanistic lens and characterized as capta, taken and constructed. Next, the forms for graphical expression of capta need to be more nuanced to show ambiguity and complexity. Finally, the use of a humanistic approach, rooted in a co-dependent relation between observer and experience, needs to be expressed according to graphics built from interpretative models.”

Personal opinion aside, I chose an example which takles a strong topic in today’s world discourse – mass shootings in america.

A data example of this would be in the gif on the left, where the statistical data regarding gun shootings in america is expressed to support the argument of “states with the most gun laws experience the least shootings.”

The gif itself does not list how the researchers have gotten their data, of which when the data was compiled, could have then been subjected to researcher bias which may not be a truly accurate representation of the statistical data, regardless of whether the argument they are trying to prove holds, or not.

Futhermore, the parameterizations show certain discrepiancies, in terms of lacking tabs for things like terrorist attacks or suicide. Those two sensitive topics are still important to the ideas of mass killing – whether self-created or dealt through human hands. The parameters within the gif seem to be skewed towards those that would be seen as most socially acceptable versus encompassing all parameters.

In relating this back to the Big Bang Data exhibition, the idea of capta shows the idea of how humans can interpret of subject themselves to specific avoidances when they represent data. When I looked at the first artwork in the Big Bang Data exhibition (which consisted of simply data bits) – I wondered if visually, even in such an abstract form, this data experiences Capta?

The answer is yes.

Accordingly, Drucker says this: all data have to be understood as capta and the conventions created to express observer-independent models of knowledge need to be radically reworked to express humanistic interpretation.

Gif taken from: http://www.storybench.org/ 

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Hi Christie! Thanks for sharing this example, the exhibit is very captivating! Data explosion is certainly a problem we have to learn to deal with, and this exhibit shows one way in which data can be compressed and translated into a beautiful experience. It would be quite interesting to see what digital humanists do with excess data. How will we decide what kind of data should be discarded, and which should be kept? It seems like it is difficult to throw data away because we might be able to make sense of it later on.. maybe that is why we have increasing storage space..the cloud etc. Perhaps it is time to put those data to good use like how the artist did with the stock exchange data :-)

Sharmainesie

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Hi Christie! This is Nicole :) Commenting on your Week 5 post too! I also find your example really cool, how two very different ideas and data can be integrated into something that is pleasing to all. The questions you posed are also interesting. All this data in cyberspace, already makes it sound so vast and limitless. I do indeed wonder where all this data goes?

Hey Nicole! Thanks for the comment! ^^

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Response to week 5's posting: Awesome video you got there! Now o cannot wait to attend the exhibition tomorrow morning to see what is in store for me. I like what you said about data explosion and how companies/individuals are facing difficulties in managing of handling the immense amount of data. I guess your questions then pose an issue about the changes they can bring for database storage infrastructure and how such problems can in turn create opportunities for storage and file sharing tech

^^ I can't wait for tomorrow either!!

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Hey Christie! This is Arumi from NM3213 commenting on your week 5 post :) I really like the example you've chosen and I find it interesting how data visualisation can also be a source that benefits everyone (in this case, a stress reliever). I feel that there are limitless possibilities for data visualisation to benefit the society not just by making data more readable, viewable and understandable, but also a means of communicating for social change in hope to bring about a better world today.

Hey arumi! Thank you for the post! ^^

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Response to Week 5 post: I loved your explanation of the exhibit you examined! I guess that's actually the beauty of Digital Humanities, at the end of the day - its ability to interpret and arrange data into messages that help us to examine the digital landscape of today! Surely there was a more innocent time when trading was also a means to form relationships and encounter new cultures - I believe that the stars symbolize that: a return to just marveling at a world of opportunities!

I think your response was even more poetic than my explanation!! :) Relationships formed through data would definitely be something I'd want to explore. ^^

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Tool Evaluation Assignment Survey

We were tasked to look at a specific digital humanities tool and answer the following questions below. The project I chose was CHARLES DARWIN’S LIBRARY. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/collection/darwinlibrary

1. Can you describe this project in one sentence?

This project aims to digitise and make a transcript of Charles Darwin’s entire library right down to the last detail of his annotations and markings.

2. What sources is it using?

It uses any book that could have been found in Charles Darwin’s library

3. Who built this?

It was built by the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL)

4. Does it have an argument?

It does not have a significant argument, although one can discern from the information provided on the website that the Charles Darwin Library is not for the overt purpose of simply documenting Charles Darwin’s library so much as understanding the way he worked through studying his annotations and notes on his books.

5. Who built this and what kind of technology does it use?

It was built by the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) and uses digital imaging technology (such as scanners), along with their own specific and dedicated tools to review and read annotations – according to their website, “BHL is building APIs to allow individual users and data providers to remix and reuse BHL content.” An example of their own technology would be the Darwin’s Library transcription pane, which allows users to see exactly transcripts of what annotations Darwin had made at their exact locations.

6. Why do you think the authors chose the format they did?

I believe the digital format was chosen in order to allow anyone around the world (provided they have an internet connection) to access the library. In a way, it works very much like an open-source library that is open to feedback and contributions from any of their users. It makes the project highly community based and engaging for the user base.