The catch phrase these days is ‘big data’ and this phrase is often accompanied by the assumption that it
is matched with big industry and big science. However, as individuals we are becoming more aware that
data is also impinging on our personal lives. Since my over-arching research goal has long been to
design, develop, and evaluate interactive visualizations so that they support our everyday practices as we
view, represent, manage, and interact with information, I am interested in this impact. I still think that
interaction is the key to exploration and manipulation capabilities that can make information
comprehension viable. In this talk, I will start by showing examples of how a human-centered approach
can improve visualization outcomes and then discuss how the currently shifting information climate is
opening up new research opportunities, notably in personal visualization and visualization literacy. I will
discuss the interplay between small data and big data considering the potential for empowering
ourselves in our everyday lives.

 

Biografie:

Sheelagh Carpendale is a Professor in Computer Science at the University of Calgary where she
holds a Canada Research Chair in Information Visualization and NSERC/AITF/SMART Technologies
Industrial Research Chair in Interactive Technologies. Her research contributions have been multiply
recognized. She has received the E.W.R. NSERC STEACIE Memorial Fellowship; a BAFTA (British Academy
of Film & Television Arts Interactive Awards); an ASTech Innovations in Technology award; and the CHCCS
Achievement Award, which is presented periodically to a Canadian researcher who has made a
substantial contribution to the fields of computer graphics, visualization, or human-computer
interaction. She leads the Innovations in Visualization (InnoVis) research group and initiated the
interdisciplinary graduate program in Computational Media Design. Her research on information
visualization, large interactive displays, and new media draws on her dual background in Computer
Science (BSc. and Ph.D. Simon Fraser University) and Visual Arts (Sheridan College, School of Design and
Emily Carr, College of Art). She is an internationally renowned leader in both information visualization
and multi-touch tabletop interaction and has received both the IEEE and ACM recognition of service
awards.
Website: http://innovis.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/