Vislets – new tool to communicate knowledge by publishing statistics

Vislets:  From Professor Mikael Jern, mailto: mikael.jern@liu.se

GeoAnalytics has so far focused on visual tools that analyze and explore data to discover trends and patterns. These tools should also address challenges in support of an integrated editorial and related authoring process with the goal to advance research critical to educational production and publishing. In this context, NCVA now introduces GeoAnalytics tools for Web enabled publication of temporal and multidimensional statistical data, facilitating a seamless integrated authoring tool (Open eXplorer) and storytelling mechanism including automatic generation of HTML code to be embedded as a dynamic visualization with associate metadata “Vislet” into blogs, wikis etc.
The novel “storytelling” framework provides means for the analyst and author to:

• Select any spatio-temporal and multidimensional national or sub-national statistical data
• Explore and discern trends and patterns
• Orchestrate and describe metadata
• Collaborate with colleagues to confirm
• Publish essential gained insight and knowledge embedded as dynamic visualization “Vislet” in blogs or wikis with associate metadata

Visit our Vislet Blog here

The analyst (author) uses eXplorer to import any national or sub-national statistical data, explore and make discoveries through trends and patterns and derive insight. Gained knowledge is the foundation for creating a story that can be shared with colleagues and reach consensus and trust. The visual discoveries are captured into snapshots together with descriptive metadata and hyperlinks in relation to the analytics reasoning. The author gets feedback from colleagues, adopts the story and finally publishes “tell-a-story” to the community using a Vislet that is embedded in blogs or wikis.
This seamless integration (figure) of an authoring, storytelling and publishing solution is based on experience and prototypes developed by NCVA during the last decade and could advance the state of the art in statistical geovisualization publishing facilitating:

• Authoring: data provider (spreadsheet and database), data manager, choropleth map, scatter plot, table lens, parallel coordinates plot (PCP), time graph, data grid, coordinated views, map layers, analytic tools (dynamic query, filter, regional categorization, profiles, highlight, motion charts), advanced dynamic colour scale and legend, create HTML code for Vislet.
• Storytelling: snapshot mechanism, metadata with hyperlinks, story and chapters, edit, capture, save, export story, embed story.
• Vislet: embeddable interactive motion visual representations based on statistical data including choropleth map, scatter plot, parallel coordinates (profile plot), table lens and metadata for publishing in blog, wikis etc. HTML code that characterizes the story-to-be-told is automatically created by the eXplorer authoring tool.