Prof. Hermida is leading a workshop on visualization in journalism at an IBM conference in Toronto in November.
The workshop at 2 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 2 will explore the use of visualization tools in journalism, with particular emphasis on the preparation, manipulation and visual representation of complex data, both structured and unstructured.
Prof. Hermida will be joined by other members of the research team on visualization, including:
- Dr Anne-Marie Nicol, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the UBC School of Environmental Health
- Robert Cribb an award-winning investigative reporter at the Toronto Star
- David McKie, an award-winning journalist with CBC News
Visualization software applications have the potential to redefine investigative journalism methods, representation of data and the way it is understood and accessed by the public.
Recent progress in web-based digital tools for data analysis and representation, as well as a trend towards in-depth journalism, have provided journalists with the ability to obtain, interrogate and give graphic form to large amounts of information that might otherwise be dull or hard to understand.
Visualization aids the process of sense-making, creating new knowledge by organizing and representing data; the user gains new insights into data and perhaps even new knowledge.
The conference, CASCON 2010, is hosted by the Centre for Advanced Studies Research, IBM Canada Software Laboratory.
Prof. Hermida was named an IBM CAS Canada Research Faculty Fellow in 2010.
