Digital Humanities Tools and Resources

Visualization tools allow humanists make sense of large sets of data in the form of graphs, charts, infographics, information dashboards, and more. By using quantitative data taken from artifacts such as texts and maps or demographic data such as surveys and census results, humanists can support more traditional types of qualitative research by embedding information visualizations into their writing and presentations. Visualization tools can aid in the discovery of larger patterns related to artifacts that they would not be able to see simply by looking at the data. However, the visualizations can also obscure information or reinforce biases and silences in the data. Therefore, an important component of the digital humanities scholarship is using a critical lens to “close read” information visualizations and the datasets they depict. 

Timeline Tools

• ClioVis
  Used for creating interactive timelines and mind maps. It helps users connect historical events across different periods, enabling a deeper understanding of complex processes through visualization and collaboration.

Resources: ClioVis Tutorials, ClioVis Examples

• Timeline JS
  An easy-to-use platform for creating interactive, visually engaging timelines. Users can create timelines with basic Google Sheets knowledge or a more advanced understanding of JSON.

Resources: TimelineJS Introductory Video, Timeline JS Examples

Data Visualization Tools

• RAWGraphs
  Open-source software that allows users to input data from CSV files, select and customize pre-loaded designs, and export completed visualizations.

Resources: RAWGraphs Tutorials, RAWGraphs Example

• Tableau
  A powerful tool for creating visualizations and dashboards using small or large amounts of data. It offers students a free academic version of its downloadable software.

Resources: Tableu Training Videos, Tableau Visualization Examples

• VoyantTools
  VoyantTools is a quick and user friendly way of creating visualizations. Without an account, users can upload data and immediately receive a dashboard of different visualizations

• GGPlot 2 for R
  GGPlot2 is a package for the R programming language that allows for fast, customizable visualizations with the same integrated desktop environment that you are working with your data. GGPlot2 is included in the Tidyverse and Tidytext packages, neatly integrating into these existing text and data analysis suites

Resources: GGPlot 2 Documentation