Tangible statistics

Abstract

Data has dramatically scaled up expanding into everyday life. How it is represented and communicated is therefore a key concern for civil society. Statistics has traditionally privileged the visual channel to convey info. This is far from inclusive as it cuts off the visually impaired who rely on other senses to access knowledge and favours visual learners against the established principle that Education should promote all learning styles. Different options of data physicalization are explored to deliver data through multiple sensory channels thus enhancing everyone’s comprehension. Sonification; real-time microcontrollers dataflows turned into dynamically interactive Data Art; georeferenced data mapped and 3D printed; AR models for data-journalism: all these activities have a potential for interdisciplinary applications, equipping students with transversal competences and a wealth of digital free tools. They can also all be easily implemented online for distance education, flipped classroom and project-based work enhancing statistical inclusion in a wider outreach context.