The streams of data available to you can hold the key to unlocking the best performance from your brand. However, sifting through that data can be like looking for a needle in a stack of needles – unless you have the visualisation tools to turn a stream of numbers into insightful images.

Each year, the United Nations (UN) compiles data from a wide range of sources to develop its Human Development Report. The final report provides an exhaustive look at how people live around the world and the 2009 report specifically looked at the role migration plays in lifting or depressing people’s chances for a better life.

Consider some of the statistics from the report: Life expectancy in Canada is five years more than Mexico and incomes are three times higher. Some 740 million people are internal migrants, moving within their country to seek out better opportunities. International migrants moving from countries with low Human Development Index (HDI) to high-HDI countries saw, on average, a doubling of the education enrollment rate and a 16-fold reduction in child mortality.

While these numbers are telling, they barely scratch the surface of the report’s findings. And if you’re like us, your head is probably starting to spin a bit from the stats barrage. Aware of this issue, during preparation of the 2009 report, New York-based design studio Zago was brought in to design the report, turning out some crisp infographics that converted the reams of data into visually comprehensible maps and charts.

Zago described their role in the project: “Our challenge was to create an engaging experience while keeping the document’s academic and policy nature intact. We created a design that supports the topic of migration and human mobility and simplified the nature of the information design.”

Infographics for rapid response
While the UN and Zago had the luxury of a long lead time in preparing the Human Development Report 2009, for many businesses the time between data acquisition and analysis is just hours. While the beautifully designed Zago graphics might not be achievable in that timeframe, the information design principles behind their work are of immense use to businesses. In the fast paced markets of today, the companies with tools to quickly turn mountains of data into useable information will enjoy significant competitive advantages.

“Businesses need intelligence tools to separate the relevant from the irrelevant and the important from the trivial,” explains Peter Ansell, Head of Solutions Consultancy for the UK and Western Europe for Synovate. “By pulling together and processing data from not only traditional research but also revenue, footfall, internet buzz, and so on, data visualisation simplifies the way users access their data and maximises the value of that data.”

With a technology platform to pull together the relevant data sources, users can quickly run queries to generate on-the-fly charts and reports. What was once a long string of figures in a spreadsheet becomes a visual chart revealing trends and changes at a single glance.

“Reports can be standardised to keep your business on top of key metrics and also personalised by user to deliver useful information for anyone from the CEO to a retail floor employee,” Ansell says.

And finding meaning from the rapidly growing amount of data will be an increasingly important skill for businesses to develop. The International Data Corporation estimates that there were 281 exabytes of digital data in 2008 – roughly equivalent to the storage of 62.5 million iPhones – and that by 2011 that number would see a ten-fold increase.

Ansell concludes: “Using the right data visualisation tools can help lower costs and streamline business operations by ensuring that you focusing on the areas that are most relevant and pressing for your business.”

For more information, contact Peter Ansell.