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ASIS&T 2004 - Managing Information

The American Society for Information Science and Technology is an interdisciplinary organization focusing on the use, implementation and possibilities for information science and large scale information systems - theory and technology. The ASIS&T annual conference was held this year in Providence, Rhode Island on the theme "Managing and Enhancing Information". Conference keynotes were WWW inventor Tim Berners-Lee and online video game futurist, JC Herz. Along with Diane Neale, of the University of North Texas, I presented at a panel on a newer topic for our field, "Information Visualization". The conference was held at crossroads of information systems, digital libraries and information science and was useful as much for academic digital library directions as for ideas regarding the future web. This entry focuses on a few conference highlights and salient learning points with regards to information visualization and wider conference parameters.

To begin with the keynote, Tim Berners-Lee spoke on his ideas for the next generation web "The Semantic Web - the Web of Machine Processable Data". Berner-Lee's ideas have been around but largely because of the tower of Babel conglomeration of different web file formats, processing or digging across databases for information has been slow to take off. Essentially, Lee's idea is that a global searchable information space should be created where exclusive and extensive 'database' information becomes accessible and searchable. Lee outlined his organizational schema through the W3C group which he chairs. His talk was interesting but difficult. In outlining arrays of amorphously tied organizations and software projects focus was on a 'semantic web' that was 'text and 'machine centered' giving little attention to visual possibilities. In contrast, online game advocate, JC Herz, advocated principles of complex systems and online game designs to products, services and information systems. Herz was though-provoking but also not specific as to how more serious game directions were to be implemented, through which specific 'tools' and models.

The panel on Information Visualization consisted of Dr. Brian O'Connor and Diane Neil of the University of North Texas, Drs. Corinne and Peter Jorgensen of Florida State University and myself from U Miami. Diane advocated the need for the application of the ideas of Edward Tufte to the design of "Information Systems". I spoke on A Historic Trajectory of Information Visualization Applied to Information Systems tracing things to current research on present day digital library work and outlining hopes for future possibilities. This was followed by Corinne and Peter Jorgenson who outlined and displayed several current R&D information visualization systems and their own research. These discussions were deepened the next day focusing on Corinne's work on a "Visual Indexing Vocabulary and Developing a Thesaurus for Indexing Images Across Diverse Domains" and Peter's work on "A Flexible Image Browsing Tester". Finally, Brian O'Connor, of the University of North Texas, spoke in a theoretical framework on photographic images, metadata, human memory and neural nets. Our panel was extremely well-received if not for the diversity of views, then for the enthusiasm of response towards new possibilities that information visualization presents to the larger field.

In terms of other interesting presentations, Dr. Ching-Chih Chen, Paul Niewenhuysen and Anna Pavani presented an interesting panel of "Building Digital Libraries Through Collaboration Within and Between Nations". Chin-Chih outlined her fascinating model for international digital library collaboration as demonstrated by The Global Memory Net, an NSF-funded International Digital Library Project. Similarly, Paul Niewwenhuysen presented on a Belgium/UNESCO collaboration dealing with digital libraries, Tanzania and the ocean coasts' marine information management of Africa - Ocean Teacher. Finally, Ana Pavani from Rio de Janiero outlined the spectrum of diffusion of digital libraries in South and Central America.

Interesting other presentations outlined the upcoming complex application of Blogs and Wikis for Information Dissemination and Knowledge Management. These applications were cogently outlined by Jessica Baumgart, Harvard; Garret Eastman, Rowland Institute, Harvard; Christian Pikas, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins. Other panels worth noting involved information visualization from other perspectives, notably, Human Computer Interaction and a hot topics panel "Advances in 3D Image Applications". Moderated by ASIS&T president, Samantha Hastings, and Elise Lewis, of the University of North Texas, this panel brought together Museum Computer Network people - Sam Quigley (Harvard) and working researchers from the University of North Texas developing 3D applications with regards to game models, museums and libraries. While the R&D research was promising and the 'definitive' direction for the not so distant future (five-seven year timeline) notable was the lack of a standard 'tool of choice' for as yet creating robust 3D digital libraries - most of this development is done by larger teams, core language implementation (C++, Java) and not easily accomplishable by single developers. Still, as one of the presenters pointed out, this is changing with current desktop computers better equipped with more powerful graphics accelerators and simpler toolsets that make these applications, previously multimillion dollar projects, now a more plausible reality. Notably, the presider urged attendees of ASIS&T and the academic digital library crowd to pay attention to parallel conferences on Serious Games, Game Design and Siggraph as points for academic digital library developers and R&D possibilities coming into focus. To generalize, the conference was well worth attending if not for the spectrum of sessions, than for new directions presented.

Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, Multimedia Possibilities

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate as an instructor in the "Florida Public Space Project" a University of Miami semester workshop. Bringing together architects, urban planners, civic officials, historians and technologists, the interdisciplinary seminar was organized by Dr. Greg Bush, Director for the UM Institute for Public History in an effort to learn from each other with regards to projects for "Public Spaces". This entry reflects on this workshop's methodology with regards to interdisciplinary pedagogy and multimedia possibilities in learning and digital library environments.

Miami is one of the few cities created without an urban plan. Because of rampant development and not an overly accountable municipal government, "public space" within Miami-Dade county has been largely overlooked or worse, seen as a commodity sold off to high bidders. This interdisciplinary workshop brought together various stakeholders and audiences. How can civic involvement be spurred with regards to public spaces? What are the social recreational needs of a populace? How is it possible to instigate a process of civic involvement and architectural redesign with regards to a large urban populace.

Architecture Professors and Urban Studies professors were brought in to introduce topics of urbanism and public space, sustainablility, public involvement, organizing a redesign and 'charrette' and the politics of growth management. Panels were also organized from the department of Geography on mapping and asessing public spaces. Participants were shown how to research and document histories of Miami-Dade's various public spaces from historians. Panels were organized for media attention and reporting on public space issues with regards to civic involvement.

As an organizing tool for the synthetic ideas being generated, I presented on "Visual Literacy and Website Construction". This 'digital' and multimedia portion of the workshop was done in tandem with Prof. Ted Evangelakis" of Architecture. The technological digital library framework allowed participants begin thinking about providing a multimedia and networked forum for the ideas presented. By using digital video and the networked capacity of the internet, integrative 'digital archival' public space histories of these largely undocumented debates will be created regarding public spaces. In creating an interdisciplinary methodology, a cross fertilization of ideas was achieved. The enabling potential of technology and multimedia provided both a common discussion forum and product/project base from which disparate entities could air ideas in a collaborative manner.