from information overload or data glut.

我們正在承受資訊的過度氾濫。

And the good news is there might be an easy solution to that,

好消息是，現在有一個簡單的方式，

and that's using our eyes more.

讓我們能有效的理解這些資訊。

So, visualizing information, so that we can see

在視覺化資訊中，

the patterns and connections that matter

我們能瞭解資料的模式與關連性，

and then designing that information so it makes more sense,

資訊經過設計，會讓資訊更有意義，

or it tells a story,

甚至陳述某個故事，

or allows us to focus only on the information that's important.

或是引領我們專注在資料的重點上。

Failing that, visualized information can just look really cool.

視覺化資訊可不僅僅是看起來很酷炫的東西。

So, let's see.

讓我們一起來看看。

This is the $Billion Dollar o-Gram,

這是"十億美元圖表(Billion Dollar Gram)"，

and this image arose

這張圖是在與媒體界接觸了

out of frustration I had

各種以十億美元為單位的事件後，

with the reporting of billion-dollar amounts in the press.

讓我感到沮喪的情形下，所繪製出來的。

That is, they're meaningless without context:

然而，沒有內容，數字就沒有意義。

500 billion for this pipeline,

輸油管花了5千億美金。

20 billion for this war.

戰爭花了2百億美金。

It doesn't make any sense, so the only way to understand it

為了體會這些金額大小的意義，我們只能透過

is visually and relatively.

視覺化還有相對性。

So I scraped a load of reported figures

所以，我從各種不同的來源

from various news outlets

蒐集了許多相關報導的數字，

and then scaled the boxes according to those amounts.

然後根據數字設定格子大小。

And the colors here represent the motivation behind the money.

而顏色代表的是使用這些金錢的動機。

So purple is "fighting,"

像紫色是戰爭，

and red is "giving money away," and green is "profiteering."

紅色是贈送，綠色是收益。

And what you can see straight away

這樣就讓各位能直接了解

is you start to have a different relationship to the numbers.

這些數字之間的差異。

You can literally see them.

讓各位能更快的了解。

But more importantly, you start to see

但更重要的是，

patterns and connections between numbers

這能讓各位發現，在過去各種報導中，

that would otherwise be scattered across multiple news reports.

這些數字間未被提起的模式與關連性。

Let me point out some that I really like.

讓我來告訴各位其中隱藏的事實。

This is OPEC's revenue, this green box here --

這塊綠色是OPEC(石油輸出國組織)的總收益，

780 billion a year.

一年7800億美金。

And this little pixel in the corner -- three billion --

右下角這一小塊，30億美金，

that's their climate change fund.

是該組織投資的氣候變遷基金。

Americans, incredibly generous people --

而極度慷慨的美國人，

over 300 billion a year, donated to charity every year,

每年做慈善的金額都超過3000億美金，

compared with the amount of foreign aid

相較於其他前17大工業國，

given by the top 17 industrialized nations

它們每年所捐增的總額

at 120 billion.

也不過1200億美金。

Then of course,

當然，

the Iraq War, predicted to cost just 60 billion

伊拉克戰爭，在2003年時，

back in 2003.

預計只需要花600億美金。

And it mushroomed slightly. Afghanistan and Iraq mushroomed now

這數字後來爆增。阿富汗/伊拉克戰爭目前開銷

to 3,000 billion.

已經來到3兆美金。

So now it's great

非常龐大的數字，

because now we have this texture, and we can add numbers to it as well.

因為我們有前車之鑑，這個數字也會再往上調整。

So we could say, well, a new figure comes out ... let's see African debt.

讓我們看另一個新的數字... 非洲的負債。

How much of this diagram do you think might be taken up

各位猜猜非洲各國的負債中

by the debt that Africa owes to the West?

西方國家持有多少?

Let's take a look.

讓我們看看。

So there it is:

來了，

227 billion is what Africa owes.

目前非洲各國的負債金額是2270億美金。

And the recent financial crisis,

而最近的金融風暴....

how much of this diagram might that figure take up?

各位認為這個數字的色塊是怎樣?

What has that cost the world? Let's take a look at that.

這個事件造成的成本是多少?讓我們來瞧瞧。

Dooosh -- Which I think is the appropriate sound effect

夭壽。這大概是最適合的形容詞了。

for that much money:

這麼大一筆的數字。

11,900 billion.

11兆9000億美金。

So, by visualizing this information,

所以，資訊透過視覺化，

we turned it into a landscape

資訊會呈現為圖像，

that you can explore with your eyes,

你就能用眼睛尋找蛛絲馬跡，

a kind of map really, a sort of information map.

就像是某種資訊地圖。

And when you're lost in information,

當你被大量資訊迷惑時，

an information map is kind of useful.

這種資訊地圖就能派上用場。

So I want to show you another landscape now.

現在，我要給各位看看另一種圖像。

We need to imagine what a landscape

各位想像一下，

of the world's fears might look like.

把世界上令人驚恐的事件，用圖形表示會是怎樣。

Let's take a look.

讓我們來看看。

This is Mountains Out of Molehills,

這圖叫"小題大作(mountains out of mole hills)"，

a timeline of global media panic.

這張圖是全球媒體造成恐慌的時間軸。

(Laughter)

(笑)

So, I'll label this for you in a second.

讓我很快的講解一下圖表。

But the height here, I want to point out,

色塊的高低起伏，

is the intensity of certain fears

是指某特定事件

as reported in the media.

在某時段被媒體報導的強度。

Let me point them out.

讓我為各位說明顏色的意義。

So this, swine flu -- pink.

粉紅色的是豬流感。

Bird flu.

這是禽流感。

SARS -- brownish here. Remember that one?

SARS，是這個淡褐色的，

The millennium bug,

這是千禧蟲事件，

terrible disaster.

可怕的電腦病毒。

These little green peaks

這些小小的綠色部分，

are asteroid collisions.

是小行星撞擊地球的消息。

(Laughter)

(笑)

And in summer, here, killer wasps.

這是今年夏天的殺人峰事件。

(Laughter)

(笑)

So these are what our fears look like

這些是從媒體開始報導到結束之間

over time in our media.

對這些事件報導的程度。

But what I love -- and I'm a journalist --

因為我是個記者，

and what I love is finding hidden patterns; I love being a data detective.

所以我喜歡尋找那隱藏的模式，我喜歡當個資料偵探。

And there's a very interesting and odd pattern hidden in this data

資料中總是隱藏著有趣且古怪的模式，

that you can only see when you visualize it.

除了把資料視覺化，不然根本沒辦法發覺。

Let me highlight it for you.

讓我為各位點出這些地方。

See this line, this is a landscape for violent video games.

紅色部分，是針對暴力電玩的報導強度。

As you can see, there's a kind of odd, regular pattern in the data,

各位可以看到，有點奇怪，資料出現了一些規律，

twin peaks every year.

每年的報導都出現2次尖峰。

If we look closer, we see those peaks occur

若我們仔細看，我們能發現這2次尖峰，

at the same month every year.

都是發生在特定的月份。

Why?

為什麼?

Well, November, Christmas video games come out,

因為耶誕節前，電玩遊戲會紛紛在11月推出，

and there may well be an upsurge in the concern about their content.

所以很多媒體就會針對這些遊戲內容做出評論。

But April isn't a particularly massive month

但四月對電玩業者而言，

for video games.

又不是什麼重要的月份。

Why April?

為什麼四月也會這樣?

Well, in April 1999 was the Columbine shooting,

因為1999年4月發生了科倫拜校園槍擊事件，

and since then, that fear

從那時候開始，

has been remembered by the media

這件事情就被媒體銘記，

and echoes through the group mind gradually through the year.

並在每年的這個時候重新報導。

You have retrospectives, anniversaries,

像是回顧展、周年紀念日、

court cases, even copy-cat shootings,

法庭案件、甚至有模仿的槍擊事件，

all pushing that fear into the agenda.

這些助力讓此事件一再的被報導。

And there's another pattern here as well. Can you spot it?

這裡面其實還有一個模式，各位注意到了嗎?

See that gap there? There's a gap,

看到這個缺口了嗎?

and it affects all the other stories.

這個大缺口是其他事件所導致的。

Why is there a gap there?

是什麼事件?

You see where it starts? September 2001,

這缺口從什麼時候開始的? 2001年9月。

when we had something very real

因為這個時間點

to be scared about.

我們有個最令人驚悚的(911)事件。

So, I've been working as a data journalist for about a year,

我作為資料記者大約已經一年的時間。

and I keep hearing a phrase

這期間我常聽到一句話

all the time, which is this:

這句話就是：

"Data is the new oil."

"資料是種新石油"

Data is the kind of ubiquitous resource

資料就像是某種普遍的資源，

that we can shape to provide new innovations and new insights,

我們可以使之塑形，以提供我們新思想跟新洞察，

and it's all around us, and it can be mined very easily.

這種資源就在我們身邊，非常容易取得。

It's not a particularly great metaphor in these times,

現在這時間點，是不太適合把資料比喻成石油，

especially if you live around the Gulf of Mexico,

尤其是如果你住在墨西哥灣附近的話，

but I would, perhaps, adapt this metaphor slightly,

但其實我只對這種比方贊同一點點，

and I would say that data is the new soil.

我認為，"資料是一種新土壤"。

Because for me, it feels like a fertile, creative medium.

對我來說，資料就像是一種肥沃、有創造力的媒介。

Over the years, online,

過去幾年，

we've laid down

我們已經在網路上

a huge amount of information and data,

放置了非常大量的資訊和資料，

and we irrigate it with networks and connectivity,

我們利用網路和連結灌溉它們，

and it's been worked and tilled by unpaid workers and governments.

透過政府和網路志工在這上面不斷耕種。

And, all right, I'm kind of milking the metaphor a little bit.

喔，對啦，我也可以用擠奶作為譬喻。

But it's a really fertile medium,

這是非常豐沃的媒介，

and it feels like visualizations, infographics, data visualizations,

形象、圖表資料、視覺化資料，

they feel like flowers blooming from this medium.

都像是從這媒介中，生長出來的茂盛花海。

But if you look at it directly,

不過，若直接觀看資料圖表，

it's just a lot of numbers and disconnected facts.

看起來就像一堆數字，和一堆不相干的事件。

But if you start working with it and playing with it in a certain way,

如果將這些資訊用特別的方式整理一下，

interesting things can appear and different patterns can be revealed.

有趣的事情就會浮現，各式各樣的模式就會顯露出來了。

Let me show you this.

讓我示範給各位看。

Can you guess what this data set is?

各位能猜到這些資料在陳述什麼嗎?

What rises twice a year,

1年內會出現2次尖峰，

once in Easter

一次是在復活節(3、4月)，

and then two weeks before Christmas,

另一次是聖誕節的前2周，

has a mini peak every Monday,

而每星期的星期一都會有一次小高峰，

and then flattens out over the summer?

然後在夏天的時候特別平穩。

I'll take answers.

有人要猜猜看嗎?

(Audience: Chocolate.) David McCandless: Chocolate.

觀眾：巧克力。

You might want to get some chocolate in.

這跟巧克力有一點點相關。

Any other guesses?

有其他答案嗎?

(Audience: Shopping.) DM: Shopping.

觀眾：購物。

Yeah, retail therapy might help.

購物也許能紓緩這件事。

(Audience: Sick leave.)

觀眾：請病假。

DM: Sick leave. Yeah, you'll definitely want to take some time off.

請病假。對，這時候會想要休息一下。

Shall we see?

答案揭曉摟。

(Laughter)

(分手潮---資料來源：Facebook的狀態更新)

(Applause)

(掌聲)

So, the information guru Lee Byron and myself,

Lee Byron和我一起做這項統計，

we scraped 10,000 status Facebook updates

我們抓了1萬筆Facebook上的個人狀態，

for the phrase "break-up" and "broken-up"

關鍵字是"分手"，

and this is the pattern we found --

然後我們發現了這個模式，

people clearing out for Spring Break,

春假前先分手(才能玩樂)

(Laughter)

(笑)

coming out of very bad weekends on a Monday,

在度過了幾個糟糕週末後的星期一，

being single over the summer,

然後單身渡過整個夏天。

and then the lowest day of the year, of course: Christmas Day.

接下來是一整年分手數的最低點，聖誕節。

Who would do that?

誰會在這時候分手阿?

So there's a titanic amount of data out there now,

現在我們有許多的數據，

unprecedented.

是前所未有的。

But if you ask the right kind of question,

不過，若你的質疑正確，

or you work it in the right kind of way,

或是你蒐集正確的資料，

interesting things can emerge.

有趣的事情就會跑出來。

So information is beautiful. Data is beautiful.

資訊是美麗的，資料是美麗的。

I wonder if I could make my life beautiful.

我希望將我的人生弄的很美麗。

And here's my visual C.V.

這是我的"視覺履歷"(visual C.V)。

I'm not quite sure I've succeeded.

我不太確定是否成功了。

Pretty blocky, the colors aren't that great.

上色的小方塊。顏色不是這麼好看。

But I wanted to convey something to you.

但我想傳達一些訊息給各位。

I started as a programmer,

我第一份工作是程式設計師，

and then I worked as a writer for many years, about 20 years,

然後我當作家大約20年，

in print, online and then in advertising,

作品出版後，我又進了廣告業，

and only recently have I started designing.

直到最近我才開始從事設計。

And I've never been to design school.

我從未接受設計方面的教育。

I've never studied art or anything.

也從來沒學過任何美術學科。

I just kind of learned through doing.

我透過實作來學習。

And when I started designing,

當我開始從事設計的時候，

I discovered an odd thing about myself.

我就發現自己有些怪怪的。

I already knew how to design,

雖然我已經知道該如何設計，

but it wasn't like I was amazingly brilliant at it,

但是結果並不如我想像中的令人驚奇，

but more like I was sensitive

而我對某些元素相當敏感，

to the ideas of grids and space

像是方格、空間、

and alignment and typography.

直線對齊、排版設計。

It's almost like being exposed

可能是因為

to all this media over the years

我過去這幾年都在媒體界工作

had instilled a kind of dormant design literacy in me.

而那類型的設計素養就被深植在腦中。

And I don't feel like I'm unique.

我不覺得我是獨一無二的。

I feel that everyday, all of us now

我只是感覺到，人們每天

are being blasted by information design.

都被資訊設計(information design)所轟炸。

It's being poured into our eyes through the Web,

透過網頁不斷注入到我們的眼睛裡，

and we're all visualizers now;

我們都善於在腦海中想像，

we're all demanding a visual aspect

因此我們需要將資訊

to our information.

呈現為視覺化的面貌。

There's something almost quite magical about visual information.

視覺資訊有一些地方是很不可思議的。

It's effortless, it literally pours in.

它很簡單，確實地融入我們。

And if you're navigating a dense information jungle,

若你想引領人們在濃密的資訊叢林中航行，

coming across a beautiful graphic

透過華麗的圖像

or a lovely data visualization,

或是美麗的視覺化資訊，

it's a relief, it's like coming across a clearing in the jungle.

那就輕鬆多了，這就變成像是通過叢林中的空地。

I was curious about this, so it led me

我對這方面的知識相當好奇，

to the work of a Danish physicist

因此我與一位丹麥物理學家合作

called Tor Norretranders,

他叫Tor Norretranders，

and he converted the bandwidth of the senses into computer terms.

他將人的感官寬帶轉換成電腦用語。

So here we go. This is your senses,

開始了，這是你的感官，

pouring into your senses every second.

你的感官時時刻刻都在接受資訊。

Your sense of sight is the fastest.

視覺對資訊的反應是最快的。

It has the same bandwidth as a computer network.

就像是電腦寬頻網路的速度。

Then you have touch, which is about the speed of a USB key.

然後是觸覺，大概像USB傳輸的速度。

And then you have hearing and smell,

接下來才是你的聽覺和嗅覺，

which has the throughput of a hard disk.

這就像硬碟的存取速度。

And then you have poor old taste,

然後是緩慢的味覺，

which is like barely the throughput of a pocket calculator.

它的反應速度大概就像計算機的存取速度。

And that little square in the corner, a naught .7 percent,

在角落有個小方塊，大概佔感官的0.7%，

that's the amount we're actually aware of.

這是我們真正的意識。

So a lot of your vision --

你透過眼睛接受的大量資訊，

the bulk of it is visual, and it's pouring in.

像圖中的大方塊般龐大，不停的灌入。

It's unconscious.

這過程是無意識的。

The eye is exquisitely sensitive

而且眼睛對於圖形的顏色、形狀、組合模式，

to patterns in variations in color, shape and pattern.

是非常敏感的。

It loves them, and it calls them beautiful.

眼睛喜愛這些圖形，認為它們很美麗。

It's the language of the eye.

這是眼睛的語言。

If you combine the language of the eye with the language of the mind,

若你把眼睛和心靈的語言組合起來，

which is about words and numbers and concepts,

這二者都針對文字、數字、概念的陳述，

you start speaking two languages simultaneously,

你便能同時述說二種語言，

each enhancing the other.

就能增加兩者的感受。

So, you have the eye, and then you drop in the concepts.

所以，用眼睛看某事物時，心裡就會出現概念。

And that whole thing -- it's two languages

而這整個過程，是因為

both working at the same time.

這二種語言同時運作的關係。

So we can use this new kind of language, if you like,

若你願意，我們能用另一種新語言，

to alter our perspective or change our views.

這種語言可以改變我們的認知和觀點。

Let me ask you a simple question

讓我問各位一個簡單的問題，

with a really simple answer:

只需要簡短的答案。