Dr Uwe Kröcher

Topic: WAIS- Development of a knowledge-based analytical information system for collaborative data analysis

Head: Bernd Kramer, Dr Uwe Kröcher

Cooperation partners: OFFIS e.V. (Dr Wilfried Thoben), ILS - Institute for Rural and Urban Development Research gGmbH (Andrea Dittrich-Wesbuer)

Employees: 5

Summary: The aim of the project is to develop an information system for the flexible analysis of multidimensional data for managing, analysing and processing spatial statistical data. Such an information system is necessary in order to meet the increasing demands on data analysis in this area. Demographic change, socio-economic structural change and a differentiation of spatial development processes increase the complexity of spatial planning and require a stronger integrativity of different planning processes, which is supported by the information system. As part of the research project, a prototype will be created that fulfils the following characteristics:

• It represents a "business intelligence solution" for regional statistical structural data, which integrates heterogeneous data from a central data warehouse and makes it flexibly queryable.

• The analyses carried out can be processed with the help of the system in the form of tables, graphics or diagrams and thematic maps.

• The collaborative aspect of the system means that different users can jointly access data - while maintaining the necessary confidentiality protection - and can "jointly" utilise evaluation procedures that are created.

• In connection with this, a knowledge-based component should also provide support in the area of method selection and knowledge about meaningful and interpretable data combinations. Due to the wealth of regional statistical structural data, an almost infinite number of analyses can be carried out in combination, resulting in a complex field of application. However, for specific application contexts, e.g. analysing population forecasts, users should be offered both the possible methods and meaningful interpretations. This is based on a knowledge base that all users have jointly built up through data access, analyses, presentation methods, etc. This is a "learning database". This makes it a "learning system".

Duration: 1 January 2013 - 31 December 2014

Financing: Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, KMU innovativ programme