mentegrafica | infovis solutions

September 18, 2006

Real Estate, Maps and Ajax

Thanks to Frank Arrigo from Microsoft, I just discovered a new interesting infovis mashup beta called spyk.

Its developed on MS technologies ( in Firefox it doesnt work so well as in MSIE ) and its a web based tools, to look for properties.

I think the tool could be really improved, adding infovis methodologies and practices to it.

But its once more a new testiomonial on how users will use infovis mass market web based solutions.

Good search

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Posted by InfoVis at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2006

An interview with...Manuel Lima

Todays interview is with Manuel Lima, the creator of blogviz and of visual complexity.

Lets start to listen to what Manuel told us about infovis:

1 - When, how and why have you decided to research on infovis ?
My interest for InfoVis started in my first graduate year at Parsons School of Design while witnessing a talk by Christopher Kirwan, who later became my teacher and thesis instructor in the MFA-DT program at Parsons. In this inspiring lecture, Kirwan showed us a version of the Understanding Spectrum diagram with its four interconnected circles. Data originates information, which leads to knowledge and ultimately to wisdom. This concept influenced my vision and made me reflect on the responsibly I had, as a designer, to contribute to this spectrum. From that point on, InfoVis became a major subject of interest and awareness.
My strong belief is that we may have access to an abundance of information but we lack the ability to process it effectively. In face of contemporary technological accomplishments, our ability to generate and acquire data has by far outpaced our ability to make sense of it. Meaningful information is not a given fact, and particularly now, when our cultural artifacts are being measured in gigabytes and terabytes, organizing, sorting and displaying information, in an efficient way, is a crucial measure for intelligence, knowledge and wisdom. This is where Information Architecture and Information Visualization undertake an important mission.

2 - Which is, to you, the most interesting project you have worked on and why ?
That would have to be my MFA thesis entitled “Blogviz: Mapping the dynamics of information diffusion in Blogspace”. Not only because it was quite a recent endeavor but also it encompasses my key interests at the moment. I’m truly fascinated with understanding information diffusion patterns across different social networks. Hence Blogviz is still very much alive in my mind and whenever I have some extra time I would like to pursue the development of Blogviz V2, for which I have quite a pool of ideas.

3 - On what themes are you working now ?
Over the past year I’ve been doing research on the visualization of complex networks (consuming my “free-time” outside work). Part of this research can be seen at VisualComplexity.com, which is also planned to accommodate new functionalities in a near future.

4 - If you should suggest an education programme to a student interested in InfoVis, which University Course do you suggest him/her ?
InfoVis is a very recent field thus it’s still defining itself. As far as I know, there are almost no full-time dedicated InfoVis programs out there, apart from InfoVis classes in related degrees. And I actually believe this is a good thing. Due to its multidisciplinary nature, InfoVis requires a vast collection of knowledge from distinct areas of Science and Design, which is somehow difficult and limiting to accommodate in a unique program. It has to be a personal choice no matter what program of study one is pursuing.

Design & Technology � Parsons School of Design
Interaction Design � Royal College of Art
Media Arts and Science � MIT Media Lab
Interaction Design � IVREA Institute
Interactive Telecommunications Program � NYU
Communication Design - Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd
Interface Design � FH Postdam

5 - How do you think infovis researches will evolve in your country for next years ?
As to my knowledge, a strong infovis research arena is almost inexistent in Portugal. By an unfortunate tradition over the past 30 years, Portugal hasn’t invested much in research and development. This is changing as new government measures try to create more inviting environments for researchers in different areas of science. Another problem is that the concept of research in Portugal is still very much associated with the die-hard areas of science, such as Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, etc.

The last time I was in Portugal, last June, I talked with some people doing work on this field and involved in the organization of events and art gatherings. They acknowledged the lack of support and I could feel some frustration on their complaints. However, it seems there’s a thriving net art / generative art community in Portugal and I have a feeling that a serious interest in infovis is arising within this group. Things are shaking up, but it will certainly take sometime before infovis starts being seen as a potential research area with commercial viability.

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Posted by InfoVis at 3:11 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2006

An interview with...Mark Schindler

Mark Schindler, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer of Visual i|o, offers his thoughts and experiences in today interview about infovis.

1 - When, how and why have you decided to start up a company focusing on infovis ?

Information visualization has always fascinated me. As a child I was interested in all kinds of maps and diagrams and could pore over them for hours. I’d get out colors and create my own maps. About 15 years ago, when I was studying for my master’s degree in architecture I realized that representation of information was more interesting to me than the design of buildings. My M.Arch. thesis project examined ways that information�via sound, light and electronic media Share:  

Posted by InfoVis at 9:13 PM | Comments (0)