DKU Data and Visualization Resources: Getting Started

Data and Visualization Sources, Tools, and Resources

This site is here to help you maximize you access to the data and visualization resources you need to succeed in your data-related teaching, learning, or research. Please explore the data sources and tools in the menu on the left, and do not hesitate to contact DKU Data and Visualization Services Librarian, Scott Mauldin, with any questions or requests.

What Tools and Resources Do I Have Access To?

There are two broad sources of data and visualization tools. One group is freely available to anyone, regardless of your affiliation with DKU. The other group is licensed to the DKU community. Do note that while paid tools are often more powerful and have better support, you may lose your free access to them after losing DKU affiliation, and may need to have a basic competency in the free options.

Free Data and Visualization Tools Available to Anyone

Some of the most popular data and visualization platforms are available for free to anyone:

• R and R Studio, freely downloadable from http://www.r-project.org/ and http://www.rstudio.com/ respectively
• Python and Anaconda, available at https://www.python.org/downloads/ and https://www.anaconda.com/products/individual respectively.
• QGIS, a free GIS platform: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/.

Data and Visualization Tools Available for DKU Students, Faculty, and Staff

DKU Students, Faculty, and Staff have access to a wide variety of free tools and services, including:

• ArcGIS Online, available at http://dukeuniv.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html.
• ArcGIS Desktop, NVivo, and Microsoft Excel (part of Microsoft Office) available from Duke Software Licensing.
• Students (of any institution) can gain access to Tableau for free using this student registration site.

More resources are available in the Data and Visualization Resources page of this guide.

To learn how to make the most of these resources, considering watching tutorial videos such as those here.

Looking for datasets on which to practice your skills or do research and analysis? Consult the list of data sources .