Expressing Information		Christian Marc Schmidt anything@christianmarcschmidt.com		Interactive Telecommunications Program NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Fall 2007
overview / assignments / resources / glossary
cognition Synonymous with understanding; making sense of the world through concepts and mental models. top data Data is often used as a synonym for information, while in fact it is distinctly different in that it is a measurement that can be disorganized. When data becomes organized, it becomes information. Data help measure processes, and data becomes information after it has been collected and categorized. top data visualization Data visualization refers to the processing and depiction of data in order to draw conclusions through the comparison of data points. The objective of data visualization is often referred to as sense-making. top equivalence Equivalence is a necessary condition for making comparisons and drawing conclusions. The database, an integral cultural vessel of the information age, is a storage or repository of equivalent objects. Through the notion of equivalence, objects stored in a database have already undergone analytic and potentially critical processing. top expression An expression is the form resulting from the visualization of data. top field Also called a milieu, a field is the conceptual space within which a visualization is situated. It can be geographical, non-geographical, and multidimensional. top information Information is data that has been processed and organized in such a way that it adds to the knowledge of the recipient. top information retrieval Information retrieval is central to information architecture. It becomes relevant when visualizations are conceived as instruments for information retrieval. Such visualizations might be conceived as vessels from which the source data can be extracted. top information visualization Information visualization enables the interpretation of an information source through the structuring and depiction of information entities. Because of its interpretive position, information visualization has recently been aligned with storytelling. Other definitions: "Information Visualization is the use of computer-supported interactive visual representations of abstract data to amplify cognition. Whereas scientific visualization usually starts with a natural physical representation, Information Visualization applies visual processing to abstract information. This area arises because of trends in technology and information scale. Technically, there has been great progress in high-performance, affordable computer graphics. At the same time, there has been a rapid expansion in on-line information, creating a need for computer-aid in finding and understanding them. Information Visualization is a form of external cognition, using resources in the world outside the mind to amplify what the mind can do." (XEROX PARC) "The depiction of information using spatial or graphical representations, to facilitate comparison, pattern recognition, change detection, and other cognitive skills by making use of the visual system." (Hearst) "Information visualization focuses on the development and empirical analysis of methods for presenting abstract information in visual form. The visual display of information allows people to become more easily aware of essential facts, to quickly see regularities and outliers in data, and therefore to develop a deeper understanding of data. Interactive visualization additionally takes advantage of people's ability to also identify interesting facts when the visual display changes, and allows them to manipulate the visualization or the underlying data to explore such changes." (Information Visualisation Research Group at the Institute for Software Research at University of California, Irvine) top maps Maps are visualizations that involve plotting an abstract data source on a discrete field in order to draw conclusions. The field can be multidimensional, both geographic or non-geographic. See also Tracings. top metaphor Metaphor is used to explain one concept through another. Often, an unfamiliar or abstract concept is explained through a familiar or more tangible concept. Metaphor is expressed through equivalence (eg. ARGUMENT IS WAR). top multiplicities Multiplicities are visualizations seeking to draw conclusions from the aggregate of a multiplicity of data points. These data are often compared using a variety of meaningful forms of organization. top network diagrams Network diagrams are visualizations emphasizing the connections and linkages between data points. top prototypes Prototypes are visualizations aiming to reveal a concept or thing in its prototypical state. This often involves a process of averaging in which a quintessential form is sought through the layering of source material. top schema A schema is a pattern that identifies a collection of objects, their related attributes, as well as the relationships between objects. See also Prototypes. top sense-making Sense-making is a term sometimes used to explain the goals of data visualization, namely to create understanding of a data source through conceptual frameworks. See also Cognition. top simulations A simulation is an imitation of a real thing, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviors of a selected physical or abstract system. Simulations are visualizations that establish a field, agents, and a rule set, according to which agents interact with each other. Conclusions are drawn from the behaviors of agents in a field. top storytelling Storytelling is a term often linked to information visualization. A visualization tells a story about information in the way it is represented. This concept reinforces the notion of authorship in visualization, which begins with a selection of data, its subsequent encoding, and finally its representation. top tracings Tracings are visualizations that aim to reveal the formal qualities of a data source. Their objective is a direct translation of data into form, as a direct and largely unmediated representation of the source. See also Maps. top				glossary terms cognition data data visualization equivalence expression information retrieval information visualization maps metaphor multiplicities network diagrams prototypes schema sense-making simulations storytelling tracings