Information Visualization: Deriving meaning from existing data sources

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Information VisualizationDeriving meaning from
existing data sources
The USMA/ARI Network Science Workshop  18 -19
April 2007 LTC James Ness James.W.Ness_at_us.army.m
il
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Why Visualize?
Information Visualization The use of
computer-supported, interactive, visual
representations of abstract information to
amplify cognition.
- S.K. Card, et. al., 1999, Readings in
Information Visualization Using Vision to Think,
p. 7.
"Name" "Age" "Sex" "Dx" "History_Yes_No" "Rank" "H
x" "Service_CAT" "Person_ID_Type_Number" "Primary_
Medical_Specialty" "Medical_Specialty_Code" "Ready
_Date" "Urgency" "Orig_MTF_Geocordinate" "Orig_MTF
_Code" "Dest_MTF_Code" "Casualty_Event" "BI_DNBI"
XXXXXXXX," "5" "M" "No Data" "NO" "No Data" "5
yo male Iraqi child who sustained 65 BSA burns
from a black powder explosion to face, genitals,
hands and torso. Now on antibiotic therapy for
hospital acquired pneumonia. Will require at
least 30 BSA grafting. The progre" "Foreign
National - Other" "Other 000000250" "SBN-Burns" "
Immobile litter patient, nonpsychiatrio, who are
not able to move about on own volition" 6/15/2003
00000 "Priority" "31.5,68.45" "28th
CSHDogwood" "No Data" "Operation Iraqi
Freedom" "Battle Injury"
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Strengths Caveats
Risch, John S. (2003). Visualization Research
Trends with Application to Cyber Security Forum
on Information Warfare, Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory. Apophenia the perception
of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated
things. Term is attributed to Klaus Conrad.
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Gallup Data
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Gallup Data
http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/bag
hdad_navigator/
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OEF Evacuations
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Terror ClustersAnalysis of Sageman Dataset
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Pakistan Emigration
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Terror ClustersAnalysis of Sageman Dataset
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Terror ClustersAnalysis of Sageman Dataset
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Conclusions

• Visualization techniques are a powerful means to
  reveal patterns and articulate networks.
• Visualization relies on the perception of the
  analyst
• Care must be taken to ensure the reliability and
  validity of the perceived pattern.