ALA Data Analytics Practice Test

Heat maps present data density as color across a grid, so areas with higher values appear in warmer colors and lower values in cooler colors. In library space analysis, you can plot occupancy or usage data onto a floor plan or a time-space grid. The result highlights peak areas, high-traffic periods, and where resources cluster, letting staff see where to add seating, lighting, signage, or staffing. This visual approach makes it easy to compare zones at a glance and track changes over time. Bar charts, scatter plots, and pie charts show counts by category, relationships, or proportions, but they don’t depict spatial intensity across a space the way a heat map does.