As we discussed in the chapter introduction, generating synthetic data is only the first step. We need to verify if the generated data is actually useful and resembles the original data it's meant to mimic. One of the most intuitive ways to start this evaluation is through visual inspection. This involves using graphs and plots to look at the synthetic data, often comparing it side-by-side with the real data. While it might seem basic, visual checks are often the quickest way to spot significant discrepancies or confirm that the generation process is heading in the right direction.

Looking at the Data: Plots and Graphs

Visual inspection relies on our pattern-recognition abilities. By plotting the data in different ways, we can get a feel for its structure, distributions, and relationships between variables. This approach is particularly helpful for understanding overall shapes and trends, even if it doesn't provide precise numerical scores.

Comparing Distributions with Histograms and Density Plots

For numerical features (like age, price, or sensor readings), histograms and density plots are excellent tools. They show how frequently different ranges of values occur in your dataset.

To evaluate your synthetic data, you can create histograms or density plots for a specific feature from both your real and synthetic datasets and plot them together.

What to look for: Do the plots have similar shapes? Are the peaks (modes) in roughly the same locations? Do the ranges of values (minimum and maximum) seem comparable? Are there any unexpected gaps or spikes in the synthetic data's plot?

Here's an example comparing the distribution of a hypothetical 'Age' feature:

Comparison of age distribution using overlaid histograms. We are looking for similarities in shape, central tendency, and spread between the real (blue) and synthetic (orange) data.

Significant differences in shape or range might indicate that the synthetic generation process isn't capturing this feature's characteristics well.

Examining Relationships with Scatter Plots

When you have multiple numerical features, scatter plots help visualize the relationship between pairs of them. For instance, you might plot 'Height' vs. 'Weight' or 'Temperature' vs. 'Pressure'.

By creating scatter plots for the same pair of features from both the real and synthetic datasets, you can compare the patterns.

What to look for: Does the synthetic scatter plot show a similar trend (e.g., positive correlation, negative correlation, no correlation) as the real data? Is the spread or density of points comparable? Are there clusters or outliers in the real data that are also present (or absent) in the synthetic data?

Consider this example comparing 'Feature A' and 'Feature B':

Scatter plot comparing the relationship between two features in the real (blue circles) and synthetic (orange crosses) datasets. Look for similar trends and point distributions.

If the real data shows a clear diagonal trend and the synthetic data shows a random cloud of points, the generation method failed to capture the relationship between these features.

Checking Categories with Bar Charts

For categorical features (like 'Product Category', 'City', or 'User Type'), bar charts are useful. They show the frequency or proportion of each category.

You can create bar charts for a categorical feature from both datasets to compare the counts or percentages of each category.

What to look for: Are the relative frequencies of categories similar? Does the synthetic data include all the important categories from the real data? Does it generate categories that don't exist in the real data (which might be okay or problematic, depending on the goal)?

Example comparing 'Product Category' frequencies:

Grouped bar chart comparing the counts of different product categories in the real (blue) and synthetic (orange) datasets. We check if the proportions look reasonably similar.

Visual Inspection for Images

For synthetic image data, visual inspection is often the primary method, especially at a basic level.

Direct Observation: Simply look at a sample of the generated images. Do they look plausible? If they are meant to represent specific objects (like cats or cars), are those objects recognizable? Are there obvious visual artifacts, unrealistic textures, or strange distortions?
Comparison Grids: Display a grid of real images next to a grid of synthetic images. This makes side-by-side comparison easier. Does the variety in the synthetic images reflect the variety in the real ones? Do the lighting, angles, and backgrounds seem similar (if that's the goal)?

While simple, seeing the images directly gives immediate feedback on the generation process's output quality.

Strengths and Limitations

Visual inspection is a powerful first line of defense in evaluation:

Strengths:
- It's intuitive and easy for anyone to understand, regardless of their statistical background.
- It can quickly reveal major flaws or unexpected outcomes in the synthetic data.
- It helps build intuition about how well the synthetic data captures the overall structure of the real data.
Limitations:
- It's subjective. Different people might draw different conclusions from the same plots.
- It doesn't scale well. You can't visually inspect relationships between hundreds of features simultaneously.
- It can miss subtle statistical differences that might be important for machine learning model performance.
- It doesn't produce a quantitative score, making it hard to objectively compare different synthetic datasets or track improvements over time.

Visual inspection is an indispensable starting point for evaluating synthetic data. It provides immediate, qualitative feedback. However, because of its limitations, it should always be complemented by the more quantitative statistical comparisons and utility-based evaluations that we will discuss next.