Moving Visual Analytics Research into Practice

Strengthening the Introduction of New Visual Analytics Technology into Dynamic, Fast-Paced Operating Environments

Mission: To demonstrate how people and organizations charged with regional safety and security can own and guide the process of introducing visual analytics technology into their operating environments.

Our goals are to help these people and organizations manage this process as an intra- and inter-organizational improvement project rather than as a technology development and delivery project; to assure that new technologies fit into and support the stakeholder community's awareness and decision-making processes; to assure that the use of new technologies installed in stakeholder environments improves over time rather than degrades; to assure that new technologies contribute to community-building rather than create additional barriers.

People and organizations charged with regional safety and security need to be able to own and guide the process of introducing visual analytics technology into their operating environments. Simply dropping new technology into these environments cannot be as effective; it is time to reconceptualize the waterfall method and increase the involvement of the technology’s users.

Currently, the waterfall method is commonly used to introduce new technology. This method is one in which technological development flows steadily downward through design phases, then the technology is handed off to its users. However, this might not be the most effective method of technology introduction for a highly collaborative, fast-paced, high-stakes operating environment such as that of the Puget Sound Joint Harbor Operations Center (JHOC).

Benefits

To truly leverage the successful research breakthroughs [of visual analytics] results must be moved into practice. They must be deployed and actively used to address homeland security challenges or their development will not achieve its potential. The process of moving promising research results into practice is time-consuming and often difficult.

—Illuminating the Path: The Research and Development Agenda for Visual Analytics

This project aims to improve the way new technology for enhanced visual analytics is developed, introduced, and maintained within the environments of regional safety and security communities.

Reconceptualizing the Waterfall Model

Collaborators

• Pacific Rim Visualization and Analytics Center (PARVAC)
• U.S. Coast Guard Sector Seattle (Captain of the Port Stephen Metruck, USCG)