22 free tools for data visualization and analysis You may not think you've got much in common with an investigative journalist or an academic medical researcher. But if you're trying to extract useful information from an ever-increasing inflow of data, you'll likely find visualization useful -- whether it's to show patterns or trends with graphics instead of mountains of text, or to try to explain complex issues to a nontechnical audience. There are many tools around to help turn data into graphics, but they can carry hefty price tags. The cost can make sense for professionals whose primary job is to find meaning in mountains of information, but you might not be able to justify such an expense if you or your users only need a graphics application from time to time, or if your budget for new tools is somewhat limited. If one of the higher-priced options is out of your reach, there are a surprising number of highly robust tools for data visualization and analysis that are available at no charge. Data cleaning DataWrangler
Software: Is 'Social' Business Collaboration Just an Expensive Fad? I'm not sure that social networking technology -- particularly in the form that vendors are currently presenting it -- offers the best approach for improving business collaboration. Many of these vendors are asking corporations to make significant investments in applications that do little more than mimic Facebook. Webinar: The New PCI 3.0 Standard Learn the steps to take to get your company ready for PCI DSS 3.0 changes coming January 2015. Social networking technology has found a solid niche in the business world. Major corporations like Pepsi and Procter & Gamble have been so happy with the results of their various social media campaigns that they have shifted large portions of their advertising budgets from more traditional channels like print and television to the social networking realm. These trends also have grabbed the attention of business applications developers. Enhancing Business Collaboration How Is This Different? This Isn't Social Networking
Information retrieval Information retrieval is the activity of obtaining information resources relevant to an information need from a collection of information resources. Searches can be based on metadata or on full-text (or other content-based) indexing. Automated information retrieval systems are used to reduce what has been called "information overload". Many universities and public libraries use IR systems to provide access to books, journals and other documents. Web search engines are the most visible IR applications. Overview[edit] An information retrieval process begins when a user enters a query into the system. An object is an entity that is represented by information in a database. Most IR systems compute a numeric score on how well each object in the database matches the query, and rank the objects according to this value. History[edit] Model types[edit] For effectively retrieving relevant documents by IR strategies, the documents are typically transformed into a suitable representation. Recall[edit]
The 9 kinds of context that will define contextual search Yesterday I did the kick-off presentation and workshop at a strategy planning session of a major online media company. The intent was to provide some different perspectives on trends in digital media as input to their deliberations. One of the many topics I discussed was the rise of contextual search. Looking back over the last decade, I think it’s fair to say that the search experience has not evolved much. Clearly it is a nonsense to always get the same search result, irrespective of who you are and all of the conditions surrounding the search. At LeWeb ’10 Marissa Mayer of Google described “contextual discovery”: “The idea is to push information to people,” Mayer said. Here are 8 kinds of context that could be taken into account by information discovery engines (if the context is available). * Individual. * Demographic profile. * Interest profile. * Location. * Device. * Date. * Time. * Weather. * Mood. (Please add any thoughts on other relevant context in comments.) Push. Behaviors.
Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding News and Headlines The Grand Collaboration Convergence The Collaboration Chaos In recent times, solutions of all kinds have been launched and marketed under the "online collaboration software" banner. At first look, there seems to be not much in common in these different solutions, even though the propose to solve the same business need. Indeed, they also fit the dictionary meaning of online collaboration - the ability to work together on information across locations. But how is a consumer to navigate through this vast array of solutions, and how is an analyst to conceptualize them? Different Approaches to Collaboration The areas of approach can be identified as follows - document management, intranet (workspaces), messaging (email, contacts, calendars), wiki, project management, social networking, microblogging, and web conferencing. A Grand Convergence? These solutions do not represent non intersecting sets. Infact, in recent times, the market is seeing a convergence of sorts. Would you like to see your solution on the graph?
5 Reasons Why Virtual Teams Fail: Online Collaboration « Poor management, communications breakdowns, unsuitable or badly integrated team members, ill-equipped staff, personality clashes — there are many reasons why a virtual team can fail. What can you do to ensure that your team succeeds? Here are five common failings of virtual teams, and ways to avoid them. 1. Square pegs in round holes. What to do? 2. What to do? 3. What to do? 4. What to do? 5. What to do? Overall, a successful virtual team includes well-equipped, prepared team members who possess the right personalities and skill sets to understand the process, are on-boarded thoughtfully, and have tools to track work and share knowledge. Image courtesy stock.xchng user clix
Can Hobbyists and Hackers Transform Biotechnology? For most of us, managing our health means visiting a doctor. The more serious our concerns, the more specialized a medical expert we seek. Our bodies often feel like foreign and frightening lands, and we are happy to let someone with an MD serve as our tour guide. For most of us, our own DNA never makes it onto our personal reading list. Biohackers are on a mission to change all that. In Biopunk, journalist Marcus Wohlsen surveys the rising tide of the biohacker movement, which has been made possible by a convergence of better and cheaper technologies. Wohlson discovers that biohackers, like the open-source programmers and software hackers who came before, are united by a profound idealism. Things ReviewedBiopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of LifeBy Marcus Wohlsen Current, $25.95 With all their ingenuity and idealism, it’s difficult not to root for the biohackers Wohlsen meets.
IU Helping Create Research Network April 20, 2011 News Release ARLINGTON, Va. -- Internet2, Indiana University and the Clean Slate Program at Stanford University today announced the Network Development and Deployment Initiative (NDDI), a partnership to create a new network platform and complementary software, which together will support global scientific research in a revolutionary new way. Through substantial investments by each of the partners, the NDDI will yield a new Internet2 service called the Open Science, Scholarship and Services Exchange (OS3E). OS3E and NDDI capabilities will be developed and interconnected with links to Europe, Canada, South America and Asia through coordinating international partners like CANARIE in Canada, GÉANT in Europe, JGNX in Japan and RNP in Brazil with additional service partners to be identified. "True to Internet2's mission to advance the state of the art for advanced networks, this new partnership represents the largest deployment of software defined networking capabilities to date.
Home - Team Science Toolkit Skip to main content at the National Institutes of Health www.cancer.gov 2014 Science of Team Science Conference The SciTS conference will be held on August 6, 8, 2014 in Austin, TX. A forum for sharing knowledge to maximize the effectiveness of team-based research, it is relevant to a wide range of stakeholders including individuals using, managing, facilitating, or supporting team-based research. The abstract submission deadline for oral presentations and posters has been extended to April 17. > Learn More PrevNext Discover what resources are available. OR Advanced Search Contribute new resources to the Toolkit. Share your knowledge by uploading tools and information about the practice or study of team science. Connect to colleagues across disciplines. Join expert discussions on the blog, add your name to the directory, or stay up-to-date on News and Events. What Users Are Saying » Recently Added Resources The Toolkit currently includes 907 resources. Resources Connections Email this page
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