Trent Library Data Visualization Lab

Software Description

Data Visualization Software

• Tableau Public- a free-open source data visualization software where you can connect different data sources, and create various chart types, maps, and graphs using a drag-and-drop interface. It supports creating static and interactive visualizations for downloading or sharing online to a website or dashboard.

Design Software

• Adobe Illustrator - a leading software for creating professional scientific figures and diagrams, widely used for developing high-quality visual content for academic posters, infographics, and other educational materials, as well as for designing logos, icons, and other elements for academic and research-related purposes. 
• Adobe Photoshop - a software used by photographers, graphic and web designers, and videographers, offering creative control for image manipulation, compositing, and video editing. It can be useful for editing and analyzing images, creating visual content for presentations and publications, and enhancing the overall quality of visual materials for academic and research purposes. 
• Adobe Premiere Pro - a professional video editing software offering a wide range of features for editing, splicing, and enhancing audio and video clips. 
• Adobe Lightroom Classic - a powerful desktop photo editor that offers a cloud-based service for editing, organizing, storing, and sharing photos across devices. Designed for photographers, Lightroom provides advanced features for editing and managing photographs efficiently. 
• Autodesk ReCap - a software that allows users to create 3D models from photographs. It can be useful for documenting research sites or artifacts in 3D, creating visualizations for presentations or publications, and preserving cultural heritage through 3D reconstructions of historical sites or objects. 
• Blendr - a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software toolset used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality, and computer games. 
• Meshlab - an open-source 3D mesh processing software system that offers a range of tools for editing, cleaning, and rendering 3D triangular meshes. 
• Oculus - A specialized platform for creating, developing, and deploying virtual reality (VR) games and experiences. It offers tools for 3D graphics rendering, physics simulation, input handling, audio integration, scene management, scripting, and VR device compatibility. This software simplifies the development process by providing a framework for implementing VR-specific features and allows developers to focus on designing engaging content and interactive gameplay within the virtual realm. 
• Unity - a versatile platform that provides access to the latest in 3D development, offering tools and training in areas like game design, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. 

GIS Software

• ArcGIS Pro - a geographic information system (GIS) software that offers tools for mapping, visualizing data, and spatial reasoning. ArcGIS Pro can be incredibly useful as it allows users to visualize data from different sources, revealing patterns and relationships between people and places, and providing actionable intelligence. 
• QGIS - a free and open-source geographic information system (GIS) that runs on various platforms, including Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, and Android; allows users to perform spatial analysis, create digital maps, and manage geographical data; and supports numerous vector, raster, and database formats and functionalities.

Statistical Software

• Beyond 20/20 - a small software package designed specifically for viewing Statistics Canada and other numeric data. 
• Python - a versatile programming language widely used in research for its extensive libraries such as NumPy and SciPy. It is useful for tasks like scientific computation, data analysis, and visualization, making it ideal for working with large datasets. 
• RStudio - an integrated development environment (IDE) for the R programming language, which is a free, open-source statistical software and programming language used for data analysis, visualization, and data cleaning. RStudio enhances the R programming experience with features such as code completion, syntax highlighting, and graph and table previews. 
• SPSS - a powerful software that helps with complex data analysis, machine learning, and making sense of text. It provides tools to analyze data, mine for information, and conduct surveys. The software is user-friendly and can handle both small and large projects. 

Qualitative Software

• NVivo - a qualitative data analysis software widely used for over 30 years. It is designed to help researchers and students organize, analyze, and gain insights from unstructured data such as interviews, open-ended survey responses, articles, social media, and web content.  
• Taguette - a free, open-source qualitative research tool that enables users to import research materials, highlight and tag content, and work collaboratively online. Created to address the high costs and limitations of existing qualitative research software, Taguette offers an equitable solution for researchers across various fields to conduct detailed studies without financial constraints. 

Available Hardware

Students, staff, and faculty can request access to the VR and Digitization workroom, located in Bata Library room 416, where they can use the following hardware:

• Large Format Scanner: A digital imaging device capable of scanning large documents like maps, architectural plans, and artwork. It is particularly useful for digitizing and studying detailed large-scale documents or creating high-quality digital archives of work for analysis, presentation, or preservation. 
• NVIDIA 3D Vision Wireless Glasses: Use these glasses to view stereoscopic data and imagery.  
• Oculus Quest 2 and Rift: Use these virtual reality headsets to experience immersive environments, scenes, models, and applications. The headsets have a high-resolution display and precise motion tracking technology to facilitate a deep dive into virtual labs, historical recreations, and 3D models built in virtual reality software. 
• Trimble GPS: A high-precision location tracking GPS unit to collect data in the field with accuracy within centimetres. Trimble's data management and analysis tools can significantly enhance research quality by providing reliable and precise geographic information. 

The library also offers advanced critical-making facilities in the Odette Critical Making Studio.