A while ago, I complained about the state of visualization on the web. To improve things, I am co-organizing a workshop at VisWeek in October to discuss the status quo, potential problems, and to find new ways to get visualization people to make their mark online. Whether you have a blog or website, don't have a blog or website, plan on starting one, are afraid of starting one, or think this whole web thing is just a fad – we want to hear from you! More ...

Data.gov's selection of data is slowly growing, but even with less than 300 datasets, it is difficult to keep an overview of what is there. Below is a little Java applet that provides a way to drill down into data.gov's catalog using a variety of categories: reporting agency, geographic coverage, frequency, data type, etc. Besides giving a better idea what is there, it also shows a number of inconsistencies that make finding data more difficult. More ...

The recent opening of Data.gov has led to a number of discussions on data formats, feeds, what kinds of data, which agencies are or are not participating, etc. One key aspect that gets overlooked very easily, but that is really essential, is that what is being published is actual data: original, raw, unprocessed, undigested, naked data. Everything else is secondary. More ...

After an initial commitment, an announcement, and a delay, we are proud to announce that the Parallel Sets application has been released! Mac OS X and Windows versions are ready to be downloaded, and the source code is available for your enlightenment and/or entertainment. More ...

After the underwhelming participation in last year's InfoVis contest, there will be a different approach this year: The InfoVis Discovery Exhibition. The goal is to collect reports of visualization is used in real-world scenarios, and how visualization tools can help solve real problems. There are already two examples, and with enough participation, this should turn into a great resource. See below for how you can participate, and what's in it for you. More ...

It's not quite the National Data Agency I envisioned earlier this year, but Data.gov is now live. It's a laudable effort, and there is quite a bit of data there, but it's still very labor-intensive to get the data sets and convert them into usable formats. But it's becoming clear that data needs to be shared, and that access to government data will soon be regarded as much as an inherent part of a democracy as free elections. More ...

Of all the sins committed against visualization on the Internet, the Periodic Table of Visualization Methods stands out as the most egregious. Its collection of actual visualization methods, structural diagrams, and feel-good business bullshit does not fit a structure that was devised to understand the world – and that is actually a very effective visualization in itself. More ...