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Many Eyes (2007)

Many Eyes is a free site where anyone can upload, visualize, and discuss data. It is an experiment created by the Visual Communication Lab.

Go to Many Eyes

Collaborators
Fernanda Viégas
Jesse Kriss
Frank van Ham
Matt McKeon
Online presentations
Podcast with Jon Udell (0:37)
Video: Stanford HCI Seminar (1:24)
Related academic papers
Many Eyes: A Site for Visualization at Internet Scale, Fernanda B. Viégas, Martin Wattenberg, Frank van Ham, Jesse Kriss, Matt McKeon. Infovis, 2007.

Harry Potter and the Meat-Filled Freezer: A Case Study of Spontaneous Usage of Visualization Tools, Fernanda B. Viégas, Martin Wattenberg, Matt McKeon, Frank van Ham, Jesse Kriss. HICSS, 2008.



Data visualization has historically been accessible only to the elite in academia, business, and government. But in recent years web-based visualizations--ranging from political art projects to news stories--have reached audiences of millions. Unfortunately, while lay users can view many sophisticated visualizations, they have few ways to create them.

To "democratize" visualization, and experiment with new collaborative techniques, we built Many Eyes, a web site where people may upload their own data, create interactive visualizations, and carry on conversations. The goal is to foster a social style of data analysis in which visualizations serve not only as a discovery tool for individuals but also as a means to spur discussion and collaboration.

The idea for the site came from experiences that Fernanda Viégas and I had in which visualizations had an unexpectedly strong social component. The best way to learn more is to visit the site itself, or follow the links at left to academic papers and online presentations.