Slicing the Public Pie: A primer on data representations & issues surrounding their use @HealthCanada

Sound Representations

Sound technology has come a long way, so why rely solely on the eye that can be so easily deceived?  Well, if you elect to have (big) data represented via sound, you need to be aware that computers hear things more precisely than we do, but it needs to be told where the boundaries are if it is going to be of any use to you.

Take, for example, something as simple as the [b] (or "buh") and [p] ("puh") sounds. A computer recognizes something called voice onset time in terms of milliseconds, but there is a range for which you and I would hear one sound or the other. However, between the ranges for [b] and [p], distinguishing between the two becomes incredibly difficult, but to a computer, it is simply a number - a really small fraction of time. For a 13-minute layman's-terms explanation of how this works, click here.

So you will group your data according to differing sounds representing different segments. What sounds will you choose? How will you determine when one distinct sound (for your ears, not just the computer) is played versus whether a different sound is played? For example, there may be a border or limit where, if a certain point is surpassed, then an unpleasant sound is played so as to redirect your focus elsewhere. Or perhaps non-problem areas may be played with a more pleasing sound to direct your attention to problem areas. Should your data grouping be non-binary, how will you navigate between segments, regardless of modularity of features?

Also, how will you interact with this palette of sounds? Will they be played in a pre-determined linear fashion? simultaneous? linked to a visualization? As with a simple chart, you get to choose how you lump your data together relative to each other (i.e how they relate). Being open and honest about this will enable you to more clearly articulate a response.

One example of using sound to represent data is Pembroke Soundscapes. Here, the creators take the audience back in time to various time period in specific parts of the city to get a better sense of what it was really like. While sound sources have undoubtedly change, sounds make big impacts on how we perceive the world and act within it.

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For a general list of perception-based questions, click here.

If you would like to explore considerations of visual representations, click here.

If you are comfortable with perception, you can move on to data ideology considerations.

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