CS-GY 6313: Information Visualization
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  • Introduction
  • Defining Information Visualization
  • Why Use Visualization?
  • Popular Visualization Sources and Tools
  • Why Use a Graphical Representation?
  • The Problem with Statistics
  • Why Use a Computer to Visualize Data?
  • Why Use Interaction?
  • Assessing the Quality of a Visualization
  • Data Abstraction
    • Types of Datasets
    • Types of Attributes
    • Attribute Semantics
    • Data Abstraction to Visualization
    • Data Profiling
  • Fundamental Graphs
    • Alternate Representations
    • Visualizing More Than 2 Attributes
    • Faceting
  • Data Transformation
  • Graphical Components and Mapping Strategies
    • Marks
    • Channels
    • Graphical Decoding
    • Evaluating the Quality of a Visual Encoding
    • Contextual Components
  • Color
    • Color Perception
    • Color Specification
    • Color Use
      • Quantitative Color Scales
      • Categorical Color Scales
      • Diverging Color Scales
      • Highlighting
    • Perceptual Issues with Color
  • Geo Visualization
    • When to Use Maps
    • Geo Visualization Techniques
      • Dot Maps
      • Heat Maps
      • Hexbin Maps
      • Choropleth Maps
      • Graduated Symbol Maps
      • Summary of Map Types
    • Issues with Maps
    • Visualizing Geo Data with Time
  • Visualizing Temporal Data
    • Time Structures
    • Visualization Methods
    • Increasing Visual Scalability
    • Beyond Using Position
  • Networks and Trees
    • Visualizing Network Data
      • Node-Link Diagrams
        • Clutter Reduction
      • Matrices
    • Visualizing Trees
      • Node-Link Diagrams
      • Special Kinds of Trees
      • Space-Partitioning and Containment
        • Sunburst and Icicle Plots
  • Interaction and Multiple Views
    • Single and Multiple View Methods
      • Single View Methods
      • Multiple (Linked) Views Methods
    • Common Scenarios
  • Exploring Data
  • Animation, Pacing and Exposition
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  1. Color

Color Perception

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Last updated 5 years ago

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This section explains briefly how we perceive color.

Rods and Cones are photoreceptors (or sensors) in the retinas of our eyes. The Fovea is a spot in the eye where these sensors are more densely located. The blind spot has no sensors and is the part of the eye where the optic nerve begins. The optic nerve transmits signals from the sensors to the brain.

Rods are used in low-light conditions and have low resolution. Cones are used in normal-light conditions and have high resolution. The fovea has a very high resolution.

There are 3 types of cones, and each type is sensitive to different wavelengths:

  • short wavelength (S)

  • medium wavelength (M)

  • long wavelength (L)

This, in turn, means that some cones are more sensitive around the wavelengths for red, some around those for blue and some for green.

Therefore, every color can be expressed as a combination of 3 main channels.

This forms the basis for the Trichromatic Theory which states that we perceive color as a 3 channel system.

However, note that we do not perceive color in amounts of red, blue and green.

The Opponent Process Theory states that we perceive color as a 3 channel system, the 3 channels being:

  1. Red-Green

  2. Blue-Yellow

  3. Black-White (luminance)