How big data might induce learning with interactive visualization tools

The essay presents some results of an initial collaboration carried out between Polytechnicof Turin and CSI Piemonte (In-house ICT company of Piemonte Region). Different datavisualization tools were selected and studied (Gapminder, ManyEyes, Open eXplorer andFineo) in order to aid inductive learning about BD. The intelligent use of public sectorinformation (PSI) becomes an important player for researches, urban studies and thegovernance but also for business.

The doubling of digital information each two years madeData Visualization discipline crucial for accesses and includes complex info especially forbusiness analysts. “We discover the world through our eyes” wrote Few, one of the mostimportant manager of visual communication.

Accordingly, forms of communication such asGraph and tables boosted the visual dimension for creating relation between values,colors, shapes and most of all analysts and customers are exploring new ways of learning(“storytelling” dimension). As planners and citizens, we rely greatly on eyes which aremanaging most of human sensors (nearly 70%) giving a crucial role to perception andcognitive maps, bias and new thoughts.

Among the different tools and approaches, thispaper highlights and applies a visualization and analytic technique for a specific casestudy where it is newly important to try synergies in decision making, planning andinductive learning processes.

Giuseppe Roccasalva