“Yochai Benkler dubs it ‘the wealth of networks.” Howard Rheingold’s term is “smart mobs.” It’s the idea of technology-enabled collaboration … and it’s making us all smarter.”
This is how TED Talks introduce their new theme “The rise of collaboration“, a great compilation of videos on the topic of collaboration and why it makes the world better. Knowledge visualization is primarily collaborative, as its aim is typically to share knowledge, take decisions in group, brainstorm or communicate actions and plans. It can be done in group work, like when you use a mind map in a meeting (what is called co-located synchronous), or remotely, like Google maps where everyone can contribute, any time.
The role of visualization in the rise of technology-enabled collaboration is threefold. Firstly, as the quantity of information on the web is rising exponentially, visualization can help to aggregate this knowledge and display an overview for an easier comprehension and navigation of the content. Secondly it can help to understand the amount of the contributions (i.e. visualizing the quantity of contributions per user). Finally it can be used to map a domain, by allowing different users to add their contributions to a common visualization template (i.e. a geographical map, a knowledge map or a visual metaphor) to create a shared picture (and understanding) of the topic…
…. the rise of collaboration visualization!
Sabrina Bresciani, Ph.D. 