Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: Interactive Data Visualization in a Big Data Era

Abstract: It’s estimated that as much as 65% of the population are visual learners. To those many, visualization represents a critical step in formulating their understanding of data. However, there are numerous technical and human factor challenges that make visualization of large, complex data nontrivial. In this talk I will discuss how I, along with my collaborators, have been marrying what we loosely term ‘computational analysis techniques’, including statistical techniques, computational topology, etc., for data reduction with intuitive interactive visual layouts that enable answering specific questions one might have about their data. I will discuss both the benefits and risks of inherent in these approaches, as well as the general risks associated with poor visualization design choices. Finally, I will discuss my vision for the evolution of these techniques into a framework for the bidirectional communication of knowledge between humans and computers, empowering the future of data analysis.

Paul Rosen is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Utah with appointments in the Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute and the School of Computing. Dr. Rosen received his PhD in Computer Science from Purdue University. While at Purdue, Dr. Rosen was a key participant of a team that visualized the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center North Tower. The resulting press release was the most widely covered in Purdue University history, with the video being viewed almost 15 million times on YouTube and appearing on many news and educational television programs.

Since joining the University of Utah in 2010, Dr. Rosen’s research in Information and Scientific Visualization has been applied to applications in vector field, uncertainty, parameter space, and software performance analysis. His research uses visualization to solve large analytics problems by emphasizing the bidirectional communication of knowledge between humans and computers. Along with his collaborators, Dr. Rosen has received awards for best paper at PacificVis 2014 and SIBGRAPI 2013, and CG&A’s best paper runner-up in 2011. When: 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Friday, February 27, 2015

Where: Room E2221, School of Engineering-East Hall, Monroe Campus