By ALeahey | March 31, 2013
Hello fellow IASSISTer’s
With the upcoming 2013 Conference nearing, we thought it very fitting to introduce you all to the newly created IASSIST Data Visualization Interest Group. Formed over the winter and now spring of 2013, this group brings together over 46 IASSIST members from across the world (literally across-the-world! check out the map of our locations), who are all interested in data visualization. We hope to share a range of skills and information around tools, best practice visualization, and discuss innovative representations of data, statistics, and information. Here is just a glimpse of our group’s tools exposure.
As research becomes more interdisciplinary and data and information are more readily used and reused, core literacies surrounding the use and understandability of data are required. Data Visualization supports a means to make sense of data, through visual representation, and to communicate ideas and information effectively. And, it is quickly becoming a well-developed field not only in terms of the technology (in the development of tools for analyzing and visualizing data), but also as an established field of study and research discipline. As data and information professionals, we are required to stay abreast of the latest technologies, disciplines, methods and techniques, used for research in this data-intensive and changing research landscape. Data Visualization, with its many branches and techniques seeks to present data, information, and statistics in new ways, ways that our researchers are harnessing with the use of high-powered computers (and sometimes not so high-powered) to perform analysis of data. From conventional ways to visualize and graph data – such as tables, histograms, pie charts, and bar and line graphs, to the often more complex network relationship models and diagrams, cluster and burst analysis, and text analysis charts; we see data visualization techniques at play more than ever.
This group has set a core mission and charge to focus on promoting a greater understanding of data visualization – its creation, uses, and importance in research, across disciplines. Particular areas of focus include, but are not limited to the following:
- Enable opportunities for IASSIST members to learn and enhance their skills in this growing field;
- Support a culture of best practice for data visualization techniques; creation, use, and curation;
- Discussion of the relevant tools (programs, web tools, and software) for all kinds of data visualizations (spatial, temporal, categorical, multivariate, graphing, networks, animation, etc.);
- Provide input and feedback on data visualization tools;
- Capture examples of data visualization to emulate and avoid;
- Explore opportunities for service development in libraries;
- Be aware of and communicate to others the needs of researchers in this field;
- Use of data visualization for allowing pre-analysis browsing of data content in repositories
- Connect with communities of metadata developers and users (e.g., DDI Alliance) to gain better understanding of how metadata can enable better visualization, and how in turn visualization need might drive development of metadata standards.
- And more!
Please join me in welcoming this new interest group, and we hope to share and learn from you all at the upcoming conference! We are always seeking input and to share ideas, please get in touch with us at iassist-dataviz@lists.carleton.edu (either myself or another member can add you to the group).
All the best, and Happy Easter!
Amber Leahey