Infographics

An infographic is a visual representation of information or data. Infographics combine imagery, statistics, and minimal text to convey large amounts of information quickly and clearly. They allow readers to get a quick overview of a topic. Because they use eye-catching visuals, diagrams, graphs, and charts, they are useful in presenting complex processes or cause and effect relationships in a user friendly way. You can incorporate existing U.S. Department of Transportation or other infographics into a course, if appropriate, or create one of your own using a template. However, because infographics are simplified by nature, they don’t always give the full story. They also require careful distillation of data to create a clear message. A graphics designer is often required to create the most effective layout and images. Sometimes infographics can be overwhelming because they present too many statistics without providing enough interpretation to help the reader grasp the meaning behind the numbers.

Example

USDOT has published a variety of infographics on Intelligent Transportation Systems. Figure 33 displays an infographic showing how the Connected Vehicle Safety for Rail system works.

Infographic on Connected Vehicle Safety for Rail. Warns drivers if there is a train approaching and if there is a potential risk of collision, as well as provides drivers with information on the estimated amount of time until the train clears the intersection. Diagram shows a train approaching a road crossing. Line signifying an electronic signal emit from the front of the train. Two cars, on either side of the rail crossing intersection, wait behind barriers. Lines circling the cars signify electronic signals. A signal from the front of the train connects to the cars. Speech bubbles with a warning icon and Approaching Train message appear above the cars. U.S. Department of Transportation logo.

Source: USDOT (n.d.)

Figure 33: Infographic on Connected Vehicle Safety for Rail system