Data or Information Visualization - Essay Example

Computer Technology Name: Institution: Information Visualization Data or information visualization is crucial to a business and it is the central part to businesses’ intelligence because it facilitates data transfer to a user. The term visualization as defined by Maureen Stone (2009) refers to the field of study which applies graphical tools on represented, stimulated information via digital presentation. Visualization acts as a link for processing systems in the world. These processing systems are the two most crucial and powerful in the world, the human mind and the modern day computer (Zhu & Chen, 2001). This is a process that involves the transfer of data into a visual form, which exploits the natural strengths in a human being. The pattern is conducted in a rapid visual way. According to Zhu & Chen (2001), visualization was a term that refereed to the human mental process a few years back. However, the authors argue that today the term is closely connected with the amplification of the human mental process. Illustrations showing the Process of Visualization Source: (Eick, 1997) Diagram showing how the human eye processes information Source: http://goo.gl/5SHXlK The diagram above illustrates how the human eye processes information. The information is interpreted after the human being visualises it. The idea behind this process is that the human eye can process the visuals very quickly. In addition, the techniques used in analysing advanced information are used in transforming the computer into a powerful tool for digitized information. Similar to Stone’s suggestions and ideas, Zhu & Chen agree that visualization provides a link to two powerful systems. Current and Emergent Trends in information Visualization Some software providers may give a lot of importance to the issue of aesthetic visualization. However, in most cases, most software providers all agree that most businesses need the visualization framework which is simple and clear for effective communication. Hence, the last few years have had an increase in information visualization trends as discussed below. One of the current, emerging trends in information visualization is mobility in Business intelligence. In most businesses today, there are numerous advances that have come about with respect to data consumption. For example, the applications that are used in mobile technologies for the purpose of facilitating business intelligence have promoted decision makers in the market to consume data (Ware, 2004). Another example is the smart phones which usually pose a key challenge to most vendors. This usually provides compelling visualization on smaller canvases. However, the emergence of the computer tablets has seen this problem disappear. Hence, this has led to the provision of suitable canvases from business intelligence providers to consumers. Nonetheless, this does not mean that there are no problems that exist with this emerging trend. The problems that have risen are there due to increased numbers of mobile devices, which come in varieties. Mobility in business intelligence has also increased the level of device transparency. Today, most mobile providers are increasingly making an effort to provide their consumers with various types of mobile devices. Most rely on the adoption of certain types of devices such as iPads and iPhones. An excellent example is the RoamBI which has high quality graphs and appealing visualizations. Diagram showing Online and Analytical Transaction Processes for data Source: http://goo.gl/qZ7E4T The diagram above is used to show online and analytical processing of data. The other current and emerging trend in information visualization is geo-location. Today, it is evident that more than 80% of all the information that is stored by companies has to have a location component. In line with mobility, the recent trend of incorporating geo-locational capabilities and mapping has led to an increase in the process of businesses intelligence. The ability to deal with drills and maps with data that is based on certain regions may lead to increased data visualization for the consumer or user. In addition, it is evident that location intelligence usually goes beyond the usual scope of information visualization. However, it is the information visualization phase where mapping and business location reflect mostly as a competitive advantage. The technology used may be new but the process that involves location intelligence is not easy. Most business men have an interest and usually make an effort to discover the most effective way of doing business in different regions. This has now been made easier because of the current trends which have increased the creation of geographic information systems such as web mapping applications (Smith & Fiore 2001). These applications have been combined with some of the very best tools in business intelligence and as a result; it has led to the creation of a new breed of tools which make it easier for geo-data analysis. The other current trend is the use of analytic tools. The rise in analytic tools that are easy to access and affordable has led to most companies today thinking of ways in which they can change their business models (Ariely, 2000). This has led to miniaturization of technology and as a result, it has enabled businesses to know how data may be captured. This allows the company to determine the data that will be available for its users. An excellent example of this is in the healthcare, where it is evident that dozens of new products that are availed for users in the market allow a doctor to monitor the sick users from far. The level of diagnosis goes up given the fact that thousand of data points are considered for checkup on a daily basis. The Smartphone can be connected to the glucose meters and other cardiovascular devices, which allows a doctor to access the client’s information at all times. This means that, rather than the doctor seeing the client on a weekly or daily basis, the doctor will use the analytics for viewing what is best for a patient and the costs are also reduced. This is the same as all the other examples in different life settings. User interaction may be redesigned by a company in a way that is suitable for users. Cheap powerful processing such as Raspberry Pi s likely to provide more solutions for businesses that want to be on the forefront as the key providers of current technology. There are different innovative contexts that utilize information visualization. Information visualization is applicable in most organizations particularly in places where people require the insights from a large source of data (Chen, 2006). There are various approaches which utilize information visualization in the domains of the web, digital libraries and in virtual communities. These are some of the most common domains because this is where large amounts of information is generated. Diagram showing the hyperbolic view of a tree in 3D Source: Herman, Melançon & Marshall (2000) In the diagram above, the tree map is represented in a 3D format, it is in a file system hierarchy and one of the most common diagrams used in information visualization for illustrations. The visual aspects of the tree are there to make it easier for the user to use them. In digital library visualization, the research used there is aimed at promoting the data collection process. This is done by ensuring that there is access facilitation, exploration and storing information. A digital library contains millions of journal papers, films and audio recordings among others which are used since the search engine techniques are not sufficient for data access in digital libraries. When there are no specific goals for a user to target during browsing, visualization supports the user by ensuring that there is an effective way in which the contents are all summarized (North & Shneiderman, 2000). When interaction techniques are used in digital library, it becomes easier for the user to browse. An excellent example is the MEDLINE (MeSH), which is one of the world’s largest bibliographic databases. It is widely used in utilizing vocabulary to the indexes in textual documents. A user will use this to transverse the database to locate various medical terms or any other topics. In web information space, the most dominant resources for communication and data for both the public and researchers in the academic sector. The rapid growth and regular changes has led to an increased rate of challenges in visualization research. Since this involves the use of efforts from both the commercial and academic fields, there now new, effective ways that have been developed in web visualization for accessing the web. One of the ways is through the use of the single web site visualization. Website may be structured in a way that will make it easier for the user to see the visualized table of contents data. This makes it possible for easier web surfing and reduces the costs of maintenance. Nonetheless, most websites have site maps which are designed for this purpose (Chen, 2006). Designing an effective graphical site may be a challenging process, particularly when the site has thousands of pages. This is therefore made easier with the use of visualization software such as the InXight software. The other way is the use of virtual community visualization. The internet is there for data foraging but it also offers new ways of communicating such as through emails, cat rooms and news groups. These are new techniques which facilitate the use of new ways in communicating across the time and geographical boundaries. This usually stimulates the formation of new social networks which are centered on similar beliefs and ideas. Rich information is contained in such archives and hence it makes it easier for information to be processed. The computer mediated communication which may be proliferated is one of the aspects that may pose a challenge to internet users who may be trying to a certain person. Innovative Research Domain Innovative research in the last decade may have led to increased efficiency in systems, but it can still be said to be at a very early stage of evolution. There are various opportunities which will be available for future research which will identify the relationship that exists between the decision processes and outcomes in accounting. From the early stages of data evolution, different researches show that decision makers dealt with numerous levels of interactivity (Lima, 2011). This type of information representation helped in determining the point at which effective decisions and search processes were made. This is research that is conducted using numerous tasks which include performance and budgeting. This is possible when there is commercial visualization as a tool for management accounting data. Innovative research also identifies how interactivity which is increasing may affect the perceptions of the decision maker. This also means that data reliability is critical. This is particularly evident when it comes to financial disclosure areas where the research which is up to date increases the interactivity and the firm’s attractiveness is viewed as a potential investment. The textual data in most cases affects the information and judgment of investors. It is also crucial because most nonprofessional investors usually prefer to research for financial documents that are more searchable. The aforementioned tasks are also likely to have a positive impact on data search efficiency. In data accounting, innovative visualization is now more common, when it comes to internal data analysis and also in external disclosure. It is a tool which is powerful and it makes sense when it comes to data flow from one organization to another. Hence, it is critical to understand that when innovative data visualization is useful and how effective it is in decision making. Conclusion Information visualization may assist people to gain insights from information that is unstructured from the large scale collections. The developments that are there in computer hardware and in software are not only going to be an advantage by providing information visualization, but it will also lead to an increased a stimulated wider adoption. Even though there is need for innovative visualization systems that have to be developed a lot sooner, it is also critically important to have theories in visualization advanced. Areas such as data mining and visualization for knowledge management are known to be some of the most likely research areas that may benefit from information visualization (Börner, 2010). As aforementioned, visualization supports knowledge management when there is creation of knowledge. This is because knowledge may be difficult to visualize as it only exists in a person’s mind. Hence, it is used in acceleration of data internalization when information is presented in a format that is appropriate. Hence, as research advances, in the areas f knowledge discovery and management, the world is also likely to move from information visualization to the knowledge visualization. References Ariely, D. (2000). Controlling the information flow: Effects on consumers’ decision making and preferences. Journal of Consumer Research 27 (September): 233-248. Börner, K. (2010). Atlas of science: Visualizing what we know. Cambridge: MIT Press. Chen, C. (2006). Information visualization: Beyond the horizon. London: Springer. Eick, S. (1997). Information visualization. IEEE Computer Society Press journal, 29-30. Herman, I., Melançon, G., & Marshall, M. (2000). Graph visualization and navigation in information visualization. IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, 6-8 Lima, M. (2011). Visual complexity mapping patterns of information. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. North, C., & Shneiderman, B. (2000). Snap-together visualization: Can users construct and operate coordinated visualizations? International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 53: 715-739. O’Donnell, E. and J.S. David. (2000). how information systems influence user decisions: a research framework and literature review. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems. Vol. 1: 178-203. Smith, M., & Fiore A. T. (2001). Visualization components for persistent conversation. Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 130-143 Stone, M. (2009). Information visualization: Challenge for the humanities. Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 43-54. Ware, C. (2004). Information Visualization: Perception for Design, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufman. Zhu, B., & Chen, H. (2001). Social visualization for computer-mediated communication: Knowledge management perspective. Proceedings of the Eleventh Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems, 23-28. Read More