Alberto Cairo, professor at University of Miami School of Communication and Knight Chair in Visual Journalism, will speak at eMerge Americas, a two-day technology conference taking place in Miami. 

Cairo’s talk, Unlocking Information: The Power of Data Visualization for Journalists, Scientists and the Rest of Us, will delve into how technology has made data visualization accessible to everyone.

“This talk will demonstrate how an average person who has never thought about doing journalism, or doing business analytics, or doing statistics, can still learn elementary principles of visualization and then learn how to use one of the many free tools that exist nowadays to create visualizations and start producing graphics,” says Cairo.

Data visualization is an innovative field in which data is presented in a graphical format, allowing deeper understanding of numbers and figures. Cairo believes that “statistical knowledge, or scientific knowledge, should not be the realm of certain elites.” His driving force is to educate and empower the public to facilitate “more meaningful conversations about our surroundings and about what is going on in our cities.” 

“Visualization can help you discover stories in the data. You have a huge data set, you don’t know what it really means, but then you start representing it on a map or on a chart and suddenly your start seeing patterns and trends in the data,” says Cairo.

eMerge Americas brings together leaders from diverse backgrounds to network and learn about the latest technological trends transforming the Americas. Cairo’s talk is a stand-out in the conference, as data visualization is a skill that can be applied by anyone, regardless of their professional background.

“It is a skill that applies to many, many different realms. That is why I believe visualization is a great topic for a conference like eMerge because it will appeal to different kinds of publics,” says Cairo.

Cairo’s talk takes place on Monday, April 18, 10:30-11 a.m. at eMerge Americas. Visit the eMerge Americas website for tickets and more information.