FAQ

What can I do here?

You can explore data using your eyes! This site is set up to allow the entire internet to upload data, visualize it, and talk about their discoveries with other people. To learn more, read the full description or just take a look at some recent comments.

Where does the data in Many Eyes come from?

The data sets come from you, the users! Anyone can upload data. Visit the Upload Page for more information.

What format do you expect for your data?

Our visualizations work from simple tables of data. In practice, this means you can upload data by cutting and pasting from Excel spreadsheets or tab-delimited text files. See our format guidelines for more detail.

Where can I find data to visualize on Many Eyes?

If you don't have data of your own, you might try various US Government web sites. The U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve are good starting points.

Can I delete the data I just uploaded?

If no one else has commented on it or created a visualization, you can remove the data.If a conversation has started we prefer that you don't, since it would remove an entire discussion. To delete a data set you uploaded, go to your "my stuff" page (link on the left-hand navigation menu). This page lists all of your uploaded data sets on a table. At the end of each row there is a delete option. If you have made a visualization of the data set, you'll need to delete the visualization before the data set. And if you've made any comments, you'll need to delete them first. If the data set has comments/visualizations attached to it that were made by other people, you won't be able to delete it yourself. If it is critical that the data be deleted, mail contact at many-eyes.com.

Can I edit data sets on the site?

Yes you can! From the data set page you can use the 'edit data' link to update cells in your dataset. Note that we only allow the orginal uploader to modify his or her dataset and that modification will result in a new version. Any visualizations of the old version will automatically update to the new version of the dataset.

Why can't I see any of the visualizations?

Many Eyes uses Java applet technology. In a few browsers you may need to download Sun's Java Plugin to see the visualizations.

I found an interesting view. How do I link to it in my blog?

No problem. Under each visualization is this icon: . Click on it, and a popup menu will come up with the HTML for linking to that view. We offer both static and live embeddable visualizations.

I forgot my password. How do I get it back?

Please use this link: https://www.ibm.com/account/profile/us?page=forgot. Remember that your username in the login system is usually an email address, and may be different from your Many Eyes "screen name".

Can I use one of your visualization applets on my website?

In general we will not let a third party host our visualizations. If you want one of the Many Eyes visualizations on your site, you can embed a live version using the share this option. This still requires you to upload the displayed data to ManyEyes though.

How do I know that the numbers I'm seeing are accurate?

We can't guarantee that anything on the site is accurate, since most of the data is donated by our users. Many users say the source of their data so that you can check it if necessary. If you have questions, each data set has a special forum area for discussion. If you see something that clearly shouldn't be on the site, please contact us at contact [at] many-eyes.com.

Can I create a private visualization on this site that only I can see?

Not yet. Depending on user interest we may add access control features in the future.

Is it possible to have a version of Many Eyes that operates privately inside my company's firewall?

If you're interested in this possibility, please contact us.

Can I add my own visualization techniques to the site?

Not now, but we're contemplating adding this capability; we'd be interested in hearing how you might want it to work.

What support do you have for blind or vision-impaired users?

By their nature, our visualizations rely on the human visual system. We have been careful to choose color palettes that provide the most information possible to users with common color deficiencies. We also provide all underlying data in a simple text format that is accessible to screenreaders.

What is a "topic hub"? And why would I create or join one?

A topic hub is a page devoted to a particular topic or theme. It serves as a way to collect related visualizations and data sets, along with a discussion area. Use topic hubs for research on a area (the Bible, global warming), for a particular group of people (e.g., class projects for Visualization 101), or any other theme. Any registered user can create a topic hub.

What is a watch list?

Each registered user has a "watch list" for tracking comments and other activity on particular data sets and visualization pages. It's an easy way to keep tabs on discussions or to see if anyone is visualizing data you've uploaded. To add a page to your watchlist, click the "watch this" icon. (Removing is just as easy: click the "stop watching" icon.)

How does the rating system work?

Our rating system is designed to bring attention to the most interesting data sets and most insightful visualizations — and to alert you to potential problems, as well. Any registered user can give a data set or visualization a positive or negative rating.

Why do you rate visualizations separately from data sets?

You can have a bad visualization of a good data set: imagine a pie chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. And you can also have an extremely clever visualization of run-of-the-mill data — consider the bubble charts of star sizes. Because of this potential disconnect, we allow separate ratings for visualizations and data.

Are messages to other users private?

You can leave messages on another person's user page. This is a nice way to compliment someone on a good visualization, ask a question about a data set, or simply to say Hi. In keeping with the open nature of Many Eyes, any message you send will be publicly viewable.

Can I delete messages that have been sent to me?

Yes. Each user can delete any messages that have been sent: click the little trash can icon in the list view of messages.

Who created this site?

Many Eyes is brought to you by the Visual Communication Lab, part of CUE, at IBM Research.