Data is great. Everyone uses data to make informed decisions, but what about taking data one step further with data visualization…
Data visualization takes the raw numbers (data) and presents them in a graphic context (visualization) that makes the raw numbers easy to digest. Take the above image of popular running routes in the city of Philadephia. At face value, it’s not telling me anything new: people like to run along the Parkway, Schuylkill River, and over the Ben Franklin Bridge…But, when you actually see the numbers as part of the image, the message becomes much more powerful.
This is a useful tool for retailers and landlords alike when making location decisions. Using the running example, if I owned a property along one of these major running routes, I might consider adding a tenant that could serve this steady stream of people passing me, which would add value to my pro-forma. If I am a tenant targeting runners, I can easily look at this map, point to an intersection and say “I want to go there” without having to think twice. This is the advantage that data visualization provides.