Concepts and technologies for exploratory data analysis and data mining are used to discover structures and patterns in large data sets. Visualisation techniques such as diagrams and thematic maps are used to provide different perspectives on the data. To visualise complex relationships (e.g. between several socio-economic indicators), there is a need to develop new, innovative forms of visualisation that can handle increasing volumes of data.

Visual data analysis (visual analytics) should enable analysts to quickly grasp the structure of data, navigate through data in an exploratory manner and draw suitable conclusions. This requires new visualisation and input methods. In addition to the visual representation of the data, tactile and acoustic representations of the data are also conceivable in order to provide the analyst with as much information as possible in a form that can be grasped intuitively.

Examples of innovative forms of visualisation are the GapMinder(www.gapminder.org/world/) and the Worldmapper(www.worldmapper.org/).

The Visual Analytics project group aims to develop a tool for interactive data analysis and evaluation of multidimensional data with the help of innovative visualisation and input methods. The focus is on the dynamic visualisation of data in two-dimensional and three-dimensional form and, for example, through sequences of time-varying data. The aim is to provide the option of analysing the data semi-automatically (visual data mining) as well as exploring the data interactively. The exploration of the data is to be carried out with a view to innovative input concepts, for example motion-sensory input devices such as the controller of the Wii console(www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/) or with the help of multi-touch input devices(www.perceptivepixel.com/).

As part of the project group, various interactive display options are to be investigated and implemented in an agile software development process. The .NET platform with the WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) is planned as the target system. A self-developed multi-touch input device for interactive exploration of the data is already available and can be used or further developed within the project group. Wii controllers are provided for use by the project group and can be addressed via existing libraries.

Publicly available data on states or Federal States, such as national accounts, are used for the development.

1. visualisation of complex structures, Lothar Krempel, campus Verlag 2005, ISBN 3-593-37813-2

2. gapminder, a tool for visual data analysis: www.gapminder.org

3. diffusion-based method for producing density equalising maps, 2004, Michael T. Gastner and M. E. J. Newman, aps.arxiv.org/pdf/physics/0401102

4. worldmapper, example for the application of distorted maps: www.worldmapper.org

OFFIS Health division represented by Stefan Flöring and Martin Rohde.