Transcript Design and Specifications of a visualization tool for dynamic network

Design and Specifications
of a Visualization Tool for
Dynamic Network
Analysis (VITA-DNA)
Marcus Lem, MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Health Canada
Ben Houston
Exocortex Corp.
Outline
Background
 Objectives
 Requirements
 Demonstration
 Provocation Questions
 Discussion
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Background
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Proliferation of internal and external
governmental committees related pandemic
influenza preparedness and planning
Senior management requirement to understand
organization
Operational requirement to utilize time and
resources efficiently
Visualization required as communication tool
VITA-d
Visual Interface for Text Analysis
(VITA)
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Meta-search engine
Interactive, 3D interface for knowledge discovery
among documents.
Search documents related to a question and
identify and visualize relationships between
documents
Could also be used to identify and visualize
relationships between individuals and
organizations
VITA Advantages: Core Platform
Functionality
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Modern platform:
 Professional-grade GUI
 Extensible via Python, Java and/or Microsoft.NET
Multi-layered network data types:
 Versioned
 Scalable
 Fast
 Custom attributes
Serialization options:
 XML
 Compressed matrix
Plug-in support for:
 Import/export
 Analysis
 Visualization
 Workflow GUIs
Pandemic Influenza Committee
Organizational Structure
Pandemic Influenza Committee
VITA Visualization
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Identified:
Unplanned redundancies
Isolated groups which required linkage
Hubs / highly-connected individuals
Superstructure / hypernodes
Recognized potential utility in context of
Communicable Disease Control
However visualization ultimately not adopted by
senior management (shifting RRs, policy cycle,
complexity)
VITA-DNA - Ideal Capabilities
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Enable the analysis of disparate multi-modal
data sets.
Ability to manipulate disparate data sets in new
and novel manners
Provide useful information to form intelligence to
support effective decision making
Development of tools and techniques that
facilitate the discovery of salient information
within data, e.g. data mining
(Varga and Young 2007)
Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak Shirley & Rushton, 2005
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Objective 2: Develop Tool for Risk
Assessment and Priority Setting
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Reliable understanding of threats
Consolidated risk assessment and rating of threat
scenarios
Analysis of capability gaps, and setting of investment
priorities
Foresight and future security visioning
Vulnerability assessment
Risk analysis in the context of a risk management
process
(DRDC – Centre for Security Science, CRTI – Call for
Proposals 2008-2009)
VITA-g
VITA-DNA Requirements
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Stand-alone application for the analysis and
visualization of multi-layered (communicable
disease) networks
Search engine function not needed
Analysis to work off of a custom data base
Ability to customize elements and appearance of
analysis and visualization
Ability to specify connections (DB)
Ability to visually manipulate data (and record
explorations / changes)
(Ability to put data and analysis in context)
VITA-DNA: Overall Objectives
Analyze and define risk / vulnerability
 Quantify risk / vulnerability
 Indicate possible interventions
 Assist in the evaluation of the interventions
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Demonstration
Aim of Provocation Session
Questions:
 1) Does VITA-DNA have the attributes and
potential to be a useful visualization tool in
multiple sectors?
 2) What other objectives and requirements
should be included?
 3) What aspects of the visualization need to be
improved?
 4) Are there experimental designs that we could
use to test its utility?
Text description of connections
Toronto Star, Sat. Sept. 27, 2003.
All possible combinations
Geographic reference
Questions/ Discussion?
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