Hans Rosling: The Jedi Master of data visualization
January 27, 2012
Dr. Hans Rosling is one of my presentation heroes; he's been featured or mentioned in all my books and several times on presentationzen.com over the years. If there is a Jedi Master of presenting data clearly, visually, and simply, then it is Hans. He proves time and time again, that data are not dull—and when you are trying to change the world, there is no excuse for boring presentations. Most people are aware of Dr. Rosling through his popular TED Talks, but just in case you've never seen him present, below is a nice 5-minute piece he did on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS. At TED.com you'll find many video presentations and articles on Hans Rosling.
US in a converging world: Hans Rosling on CNN
This segment is from March, 2011. Go here to see loads of videos on gapminder.org.
Documentary: Rosling's World
One of the videos you will find on gapminder.org is this documentary on Hans Rosling. It is fantastic and well worth your time (about an hour). It is in Swedish so do not forget to click on CC in Youtube for the English subtitles if you need them. Dr. Rosling is an inspiring figure who is doing his own bit to change the world in a big way. His story is one more people need to hear. And Gapminder.org is an invaluable resource for educators. Loads of videos, and downloads, and tons of indicators displayed in Gapminder World.
In that 5-minute CNN segment, Hans gives us so much insight! I love the way he focuses on the *meaning*, not the data itself.
Haven't had a chance to watch the documentary yet, but looking forward to it. Thanks for the tip about using subtitles!
(P.S. You might want to update the link in the 2nd-last sentence, which currently points to http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2012/01/www.gapminder.org/ .)
Posted by: Craig Hadden - remotepossibilities.wordpress.com | January 30, 2012 at 08:18 AM
Thanks for posting. Dr. Rosling's visual style brought disease statistics to life in his TED talks - great speaker!
Posted by: Locksmith Southampton | February 03, 2012 at 08:59 PM
Garr,
Thanks for the post, I was just wondering do you know what tool he uses to create those visualizations and whether it's publicly available?
Thanks,
Sanjay shetty
Posted by: Sanjay Shetty | February 06, 2012 at 03:54 AM
Well, he's Swedish, and they're simply the best when it comes to numbers :-) I've seen both of his presentations on TED and they're stunning. Thanks for the link to the documentary, should be good...
Posted by: Leon | February 07, 2012 at 11:33 AM
Great stuff, Garr!
Thanks for the videos. He is very inspiring!
Posted by: Fred E. Miller | February 20, 2012 at 05:04 AM
Good to know about Dr. Hans Rosling and data visualization. Very nice post!
Posted by: Peter | February 24, 2012 at 07:37 PM
I'm one of your biggest fans Garr, and also Rosling's.. However, I think we tend to exagerate sometimes in our appreciation of other people, to the point that we glorfiy them!
Sincere regards
Posted by: Ahmad | February 25, 2012 at 11:36 PM