David Krause, @MarquetteAIM program director, has created a
new FinTech Topics course that is being taught this semester.
Over the upcoming
weeks the emphasis in the course shifts from the world of ‘big data’ statistical
analysis to data visualization using Tableau.
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| A map of Wisconsin SEC-registered investment advisers prepared using the EDGAR data base and Tableau |
According to Krause, “Data visualization is representation
of information and data in a graphical format. We are going to see how using
visual elements like tables, graphs, charts, and maps can assist in data
analysis of big data sets. Learning how to use data visualization tools, such
as Tableau, will provide our students a way to view and understand trends,
outliers, and patterns in data. Additionally, we’ll learn how to create better
output that meets the needs of the intended audience.”
He continued, “In the ‘big data’ financial world, data
visualization tools and methods are essential to analyze the massive amounts of
information available and to help make data-driven investment decisions.”
“It’s funny, but today we have tons of data available, but we
need data visualization tools to help us look at the data before jumping into
high-level statistical analysis. Sometimes we get way too granular – it is
important to step back and look at the data and see what the general trends are
– it is an example of looking at the forest first before examining the trees,”
Krause said.
Marquette University has some excellent resources that we
will tap into the next several weeks, such as the Digital Scholarship Lab. The list of guests coming into the AIM
Room includes:
- Elizabeth Gibes, Coordinator of the Digital Scholarship Lab, who will present an overview of data visualization, including an overview of data cleaning best practices, platforms and programs for creating visualizations.
- Jim Donahue, a Marquette alumnus and the founder of Milwaukee-based Rising Tide Analytics, will provide examines of data visualizations he produces for his corporate financial clients.
- Eric Kowalik, Instructional Designer in the Digital Scholarship Lab – along with Elizabeth Gibes, will conduct a Tableau workshop where the students will learn about key data visualization functions, including how to connect to data sources, visuals and dashboards. Several projects will be presented to the students who will have assignments where they will use Tableau to manage and view large data sets related to U.S. equities.
